Malaysia’s Women-Only Coaches Shine in French Documentary

By Danial Martinus • 27 Jul 2026 in News

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Women-only coaches are the norm in Malaysia’s public transport sector, particularly in the MRT, LRT, and KTM Komuter trains. They’re marked with their signature pink signs, clearly stating the respective coaches are strictly for women.

It’s a great quality-of-life and safety accomodation for women who take public transport alone, or just feel more comfortable being surrounded by other women (and only women) when commuting.

That same feature of our public transport system recently got its time in the spotlight in French docu-series, Des Trains Pas Comme Les Autres (Trains Unlike Any Other).

While not unique to Malaysia, women-only coaches are not too common either

“In the Kuala Lumpur metro in Malaysia, certain carriages are reserved exclusively for women. Marked by pink stripes, they offer a space where women can travel with greater peace of mind,” reads the documentary’s caption in a snippet posted on Instagram.

While it isn’t wrong, the caption doesn’t tell the whole story of Malaysia’s women-only coaches. Many international viewers chimed in with their opinions, seemingly misunderstanding the point of these special coaches. Some interpreted it as forced gender segregation, though this is far from the truth.

“I love the women-only coach because it’s about giving women a choice, not taking choices away,” clarified Instagram user @sitihuwaida. “Men aren’t allowed in the women-only coach, but women are still free to use the regular mixed coaches if they prefer. No one is forcing us to use it.”

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She also explained that some women don’t like being pressed up against men, especially during peak hours when the trains get more packed with commuters.

She emphasised that it’s all about giving women more choices, not restricting them. If a woman wants to sit in the regular mixed coach, it’s completely her prerogative.

Others pointed out that women-only transport accomodations are also present in other countries, such as Mexico, where there are pink buses reserved for women and their children.

Either way, this was never a competition, but merely a reflection of people’s understanding of the importance of safety and peace of mind. To have Malaysia be highlighted in one documentary is surely a win (definitely for RapidKL), but it represents a norm that hopefully becomes commonplace globally.

Women-only coaches were first introduced on Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) trains in 2010. Later on, the initiative was expanded to the MRT Kajang Line, MRT Putrajaya Line, and the LRT Ampang/Sri Petaling Line.

You can watch the documentary here, but you’ll have to sign up for an account (and we assume it’s only in French).