Western Railway staff gets tips on ‘ladies first’

Mumbai: In a welcome move, western railway (WR) has instructed its frontline staff including the railway police force (RPF), station masters and ticket collectors to be courteous to women commuters. The WR held a special gender sensitisation for its staff this week and told them to greet women, ask for their tickets or address them with dignity.

For instance, RPF personnel have been asked to speak courteously with women travelling alone or with children if they are found to be in need of help, while ticket collectors have been asked to greet women commuters with a simple “good morning” before checking their tickets. The railways deals with one of the largest customer base in terms of day-to-day interaction between its staff and the 35 lakh commuters travelling on WR.

A major grouse among commuters, especially women, is downright rudeness of the frontline staff. Commuters encounter such behaviour from ticket checkers and RPF personnel who often tell them not to litter, spit or trespass.

One such commuter, Hiral Naphade (25), who travels from Mahim to Andheri, said, “Once, my pass had expired and I was under the impression that it was still valid so the ticket collector was very rude with me despite my readiness to pay the fine.” She said that it would have been an altogether different experience, had the ticket collector shown a little courtesy. “There is a certain amount of public shaming that ticket collectors indulge in, as if you have committed a heinous crime and you are paraded before the public for committing it,” she said.

A railway official said, “We told both male and female frontline staff that they need to greet the person and maintain a polite yet firm demeanour when approaching a commuter.” He said that commuters’ blanket perception about frontline staff that they were always rude was a cause of heartburn for the railway. “Our personnel felt that people are already on the defensive when an official asks them to either furnish their ticket or follow railway’s rules. So we had to explain to them that this is the very public opinion that needs constant efforts to be changed,” he said.

Instructions issued

• RPF asked to speak courteously with women travelling alone or with children if they are found in need of help.
• Ticket collecting staff, both male and female asked to greet commuters with a simple “good morning” before asking for their tickets.
• Station masters, known to be the backbone of the railway, asked to provide assistance to all women who might come knocking on their office door.