When it comes to public transport, my woes are never-ending. Long queues, cramped carriages, delays in the journey that turn a 15-minute ride into a half-an-hour one… the list could go on.

But if there's one thing that I'm particularly peeved about, it's the perverts that lurk in the crowded confines of our trains and buses.

And you should be too. The statistics are alarming: The number of outrage-of-modesty cases on public transport have jumped from 114 in 2011 to 155 in 2012, according to the Singapore Police Force.

And then there's the 76 cases reported in the first half of 2013 and the many unreported accounts I've heard from girlfriends.

That said, there's no need to be afraid or suffer in silence.

We get three women who chose to fight to spill the beans on how they dealt with the perverts who tried to get the best of them.

I GOT PHYSICAL

"I was in the train on the way to work one day when I felt someone's hand brushing against my butt.

The first time it happened, I assumed it was accidental because the train was jerking quite a bit. Plus, it was peak period, so the carriage was packed.

However, after the person's hand lingered on my bottom for a good 10 seconds, I got suspicious and decided to check out who it was through the reflection in the train doors.

I saw this bespectacled chubby man dressed in smart office attire in his 30's, smirking at my back. I didn't want to create a scene because he could easily deny it or blame it on the lack of space, so I got physical.

I prepped myself for the next train jerk and jabbed him hard with my elbows when it did.

Thankfully, it was enough to startle him. He was more shocked than embarrassed by my move, and moved a step back.

I don't think anyone noticed what was going on, but at least he didn't try anything else after that."

- Mandy*, 22, Student

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