Guatemala City has introduced women-only buses aimed at reducing sexual harassment and violence against women on public transport across the Guatemalan capital

The project came about after a congresswoman, Zury Rios Montt, started a petition to draw attention to the fact that hundreds of women were sexually harassed on buses every year. According to the Association of Transport Users in Guatemala, of the 1500 complaints received annually about passenger abuse, more than a third of them involve the sexual harassment of women and girls. The fleet of buses marked for women only has received a great deal of support. Passengers say that they feel safer and hope the project will soon extend its operation beyond rush hours. The service is for women and all children under seven.