Some of us here at That’s Beijing have fairly lengthy commutes that take us from the jam-packed Batong Line to the crowded Line 1 to the less crowded Line 2, where our offices are located. We’ve become intimately acquainted with our subway commutes. And over the years the corners of Line 1's subway cars have become our best friend, especially during rush hour.
We’ve become pretty good at snagging those coveted spots during our commutes. So imagine our surprise when we beelined it for the corner of our usual Line 1 subway car only to find our space occupied by a young man wearing a red beret and matching armband. It was kind of jarring.
At first we thought that it was just some random dude who has a thing for red berets. But then the same thing happened the next day. Only this time around the guard stood dutifully in front of the door, stepping outside of the car at each stop to let passengers in and out.
Apparently this is a thing now.
In order to ensure safety, Beijing transportation authorities have decided to man the city’s subway cars with guards. The pilot program was launched on June 1 and as of now has only been rolled out on lines 1 and 2 during rush hour.
The guards are responsible for ensuring safety and regulating traffic flow. More than 1,100 guards aged 18-35 have been hired. All have been screened, have clean criminal records and have been properly licensed and trained.
The guards are armed with fire extinguishers, anti-cutting gloves, small flashlights and a few other pieces of equipment. Guards are supposed to be on alert during their shifts and to help if there are any disputes. If anything out of the ordinary occurs, they are instructed to call the police.
At this point we’re not sure how long the trial period will last or if it will be extended to other subway lines. If you ask us, adding yet another body into a packed subway car just doesn’t seem all that helpful. It’s crowded enough as it is.
We were relieved to see that the pilot program wasn’t launched on the Batong Line. There's definitely no room for extra bodies in those cars.
[Image via Sina]
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