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Article featured in Beijing This Month, March 2002
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Single-berth Safety for Female Travelers

2002/03/01

Following the allocation of more individual space to coach passengers, female travelers need no longer face the embarrassment of having to huddle next to male strangers during long trips.

More than 80 percent of China's 40,000 coaches with sleeping berths need to be refitted, according to Meng Qiu, vice-director of the vehicle-management department of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MTC).

"Safety and comfort are the two major factors that should be emphasized in long-distance coach transportation,"she said, "so single berths will replace double and triple berths. The space between neighboring berths should not be less than 35 centimeters."

The change was formalized in a regulation jointly promulgated by the State Economic & Trade Commission, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

Meng noted that while the refits of non-standard coaches would lower the capacity of each vehicle from 36-37 berths to 26-28, the safety and comfort of passengers were guaranteed.

Coach firms that fail to refit will be prevented from officially registering, thus not permitted to operate.



 
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