Sitting beside women on public transport because one is forced to
Question

                What is the ruling on a man sitting beside women on public transport knowing that they have no other choice?.
Praise be to Allah.Firstly: 
For men to 
    mix with women on public transport, at work or in school is haraam, because 
    it leads to great evils as is obvious. The evidence that mixing is haraam 
    has been discussed in the answer to question no. 
    1200. 
Secondly: 
If a person 
    has no other choice but to travel on mixed public transport, then he must 
    fear Allaah as much as he can, lower his gaze and not look at haraam things, 
    and avoid sitting beside women as much as he can, even if that means 
    standing, seeking thereby to please Allaah and avoid the fitnah that the 
    Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against: 
    “Beware of women, for the first fitnah among the Children of Israel was 
    because of women.” Narrated by Muslim (2742). 
And he said: 
    “I have not left behind me any fitnah more harmful to men than women.” 
    Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5096)and Muslim (2742). 
A person can 
    avoid this by changing his seat and so on.  
“And 
    whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him 
    to get out (from every difficulty).
3. And He 
    will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts 
    his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will 
    accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things”

    [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]
Thirdly: 
If a person 
    has no choice but to use public transit and he cannot change his place or 
    change vehicles, and he cannot stand because that is even more crowded and 
    brings even more contact with women, then there is no sin on him in that 
    case if he sits next to a woman, so long as he keeps away from her as much 
    as possible. 
If he fears 
    fitnah for himself and the shaytaan starts to whisper to him and divert his 
    thoughts, then he must get off as soon as he can, no matter how late that 
    may make him for work or school, because there is nothing more precious to a 
    man than his religious commitment, so he must protect it. 
We asked 
    Shaykh Ibn Jibreen about the ruling on sitting next to a woman on public 
    transport, and he said that it is permissible as much as it is necessary, if 
    there is no fear of temptation. 
And Allaah 
    knows best.