California Mass Transit Cracks Down on ‘Seat Hogs’ and ‘Manspreaders’

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Subway etiquette in California is on the move.

In the car-choked cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, public transit commuters fed up with “seat hogs” and “manspreaders” will soon find relief as transit agencies crack down on passengers occupying more than their share of space as others are left standing.

“This is directed at that knucklehead who, when asked by a courteous person to vacate a seat, refuses to do so,” said Joel Keller, a member of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Agency in San Francisco.

Last week, the agency’s board voted 5-4 to adopt a new “one ticket, one seat” rule imposing a $100 fine on commuter train riders who, after a warning continue to use a seat for something other than sitting.

Subway riders who park a backpack on a seat or spread out in wide-legged oblivion have long been the bane of the rush-hour crowd in major commuter cities across the United States.

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