Manner Police are on Patrol!

Well this recent article caught my attention on the Mainichi daily news because it had Yokohama written boldly in the headline, so I surfed right over. The basic gist of the article is Yokohama is now employing a senior aged crew of 11 manner police, which will soon be released to work on the subway's afternoon routes.

All the manner police will be escorted by subway attendants in case things get a bit hairy, and they have been trained in how to address strangers. The manner police are a mix of men and women over 60, with the oldest crew member at 81 years old. They are wary of the confrontations that will inevitably arise, but they are ready to get out there and start helping make the train riding experience more pleasant for everyone.

Some of the actions that the manner patrol will be policing include blocking the train doors, taking up more then one seat, and using a mobile phone. I'd say there are plenty of other "infringements" that they will be looking for, but as a past rider on Japanese railways I can tell you those three are the top offenders by occurrence levels.

Really the mobile use doesn't bother me when it's just emailing, but I have seen/heard people talking on their mobiles and yes, it's rather annoying. I think keeping people away from the train doors is going to be difficult. Many were the times Shouma shooed me towards the doors, explaining it was the most comfortable spot. And on a busy train, indeed it is. I think this is delightful idea and if they can pull it off I think it will have some benefit for the train riders and everyone involved with the train system.