Paying extra to take your backpack?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From The Standard

If you wear a backpack on public transport, then I think you ought to pay a penalty. No, I’m not being funny, not being arch, but I think you deserved to be taxed. And taxed properly. You are not only a public nuisance, but you take up approximately 10 per cent more space than anyone else on the bus or the train, and therefore should be punished. Hashtag not even joking.

What do members think?

Would a new fare system be fairer if one of the factors I calculating when your pay would be your weight?

Should you pay for luggage on trains like you do on most aircraft these days?

[JayMac]

P*** poor editors-in-chief should be taxed. Heavily.

[johnneyw]

Should I be charged extra for being a stone heavier than I was a decade ago?

Edit to add that I understand that it's actually about taking up seating spaceI....I keep my backpack/ rucksack under my legs or on my lap anyway.... not denying anyone a seat.

[eightonedee]

To be (ever so slightly!) fair, this is as much a semi-humorous rant about the gradual shift from briefcases carried in front of, or beside the passenger, where the carrier can see what they are doing with what they are carrying, to work bags or similar worn on the back which can in thoughtless moments hurt someone, because the wearer forgets what they have on their back.

It's not really what a serious paper should be filling its editorial pages with (OK - it was the Standard, the evening train litter that has been superseded by the Metro), and is more appropriate to the Lighter Side board of a good on-line passenger forum. As I understand the proprietor is about to downgrade his paper to a weekly, perhaps this will be the only outlet the author has soon.

[CyclingSid]

A bit of training/consideration to encourage those wearing backpacks and standing sideways in gangways would probably go a long way.

[Clan Line]

Should I be charged extra for being a stone heavier than I was a decade ago?

Airlines are looking at that already (and not just the "usual suspects" either !)

I keep my backpack/ rucksack under my legs or on my lap anyway.... not denying anyone a seat.

...........you might, but there are plenty that don't. Having said that - that is about all the "middle" seat on 165/166s is any good for.