Standing passenger

"Straphanger" redirects here. For other uses, see Straphanger (disambiguation).
Passengers using pivoted grab handles on a congested New York City Subway train in April 1974
Grab rails on a longer-distance commuter train which is designed mostly for seated passengers

In urban public transport, provision is made for standing passengers, often called straphangers[1][2][3][4] or standees,[5] to rationalize operation and to provide extra capacity during rush hour.

On crowded rapid transit urban lines, while most travelers may be seated during off-peak services, only a limited proportion will be seated during the peak services. The longer the journey, the less willing passengers are to stand. On intercity rail or coach services, the willingness among passengers to stand is often low. It may even be prohibited there or in intercity buses, school buses, gondola lifts, or amusement park railways, with reserved seating to ensure that all passengers can be seated.

In aviation, safety measures require all passengers and crew to be seated during take-off and landing, so airlines do not allow passengers to travel without a seat. However, in 2010, Ryanair, a low-cost airline proposed a "vertical seat" design for use by standing passengers on its aircraft.[6]

  1. ^ 16 April 1893, Chicago Daily Tribune, pg. 33: "But Lili (a dwarf elephant – ed.) weighs only seventy pounds and her tread would not affect a corn as much as that of the dudish strap-hanger whose equilibrium has been disturbed by the sudden jerk of a green gripman."
  2. ^ 22 February 1896, Chicago Daily Tribune, pg. 7: "'No sane man,' said a North-sider yesterday who has been a strap-hanger for years, 'expects the street car lines to furnish seats for every passenger during the rush hour morning and evening.'"
  3. ^ 19 April 1899, New york Times, pg. 6: "When the offer of the Metropolitan Street Railway Company to build the underground railroad was published, the million strap-hangers were silent, inert, and helplessly contemplative."
  4. ^ "An imposing and formal man, Prescott Bush commuted for years to Grand Central Station, then rode down to Wall Street on the subway. 'He'd die now,' according to George's sister Nancy, 'with limos picking them up. He was a straphanger.'" — Andrew Delbanco, "Self-Remade Man," The New York Times review
  5. ^ "Standee". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  6. ^ The Telegraph (London), "Ryanair to sell £5 tickets for standing-room only flights", Laura Roberts, 1 July 2010 (accessed 17 September 2010)