A female-only bus service has been launched during rush hour to protect women from sexual harassment and facilitate trips for pregnant women and breastfeeding moms in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province in central China, the Dahe Daily reported.

Two buses on the 22-km-long Route 906 will start running daily at 7:30 a.m. and 16:30 p.m. from the terminus between April 26 to August 7. A normal bus will follow the female-only one to avoid delaying trips for male passengers.

The service has been welcomed by most female passengers. With summer approaching, many women began to wear thin, short dresses, and female-only service during rush hour would effectively stop sexual harassment, said a female passenger surnamed Zhou.

Another female passenger surnamed Fang said that the service enabled her to breastfeed her three-month-old baby on the bus without feeling awkward and impolite in front of a crowd of male passengers.

However, male passengers have different views on this service. While some think it's understandable, others feel it is discrimination against men.

Offering female-only service is a worthwhile endeavor, because the special needs of women, especially those who are pregnant or nursing babies, must be met, said Ji Deshang, a sociology professor of Zhengzhou University. But he warned that such a service is only a temporary solution and won’t tackle the crux of the problem.

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