Metro struggles to handle commuters with stools
Commuters have been seen sitting on stools on some Shanghai Metro lines, which is not recommended.
Shanghai Shentong Metro Group reported 76 cases of passengers bringing stools on Lines 11 and 9 this month, albeit it has been clearly not recommended to use stools in Metro carriages.
Commuters have complained that stools pose a risk to both sitting and standing riders.
"I'm afraid of stepping on them during emergency brakes. I also have to step around them when the Metro door opens," a woman surnamed Chen was cited.
The Shanghai Metro has almost 10 million weekday riders. Some commuters told Shanghai Metro staff that standing for more than an hour was difficult and that getting a seat during peak hours was nearly impossible.
Some students also reportedly use the stool on subways for the purpose of study.
Signs prohibiting the use of stools on the Shanghai Metro are visible in trains on Lines 11 and 9.
Line 11, China's longest Metro network, runs 82.8 kilometers over 39 stops between Huaqiao Station in Jiangsu Province and Shanghai Disneyland Resort in the Pudong New Area.
Teng Jing, a professor at Shanghai Tongji College of Transportation Engineering, said that the stools may pose safety risks and discomfort to others, particularly female riders standing close to them.
He proposed that the Metro operator tighten safety checks, publicize and educate commuters about inconveniences caused by stools, and add extra trains during peak hours.
