A pusher is a worker who pushes people onto the train at a railway station during the morning and evening rush hour

Rush hour

A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...

s. When they were first brought in at Shinjuku Station

Shinjuku Station

is a train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan.Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail, commuter rail and metro lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007,...

, they were called , and were largely made up of students working part-time; nowadays, station staff and/or part-time workers fill these roles during morning rush hours on many lines.

It becomes difficult to shut the doors when the number of passengers is over 200% of a train's capacity, but pushers are often stationed on platforms when trains are at around 120% capacity, as they also help to organize passengers.

The term is derived from the verb , meaning "push", and the suffix , indicating "line of work."

Process

The steps undertaken in the work of pushers include:

1. Before the train enters the platform, they perform safety checks.
2. When the train arrives, watching the passengers get on and off the train.
3. Just before the train departs, they guide passengers who cannot find the space to get onto the train to a door where there is more room.
4. When the doors close, they check that no passengers or items of baggage are stuck in the doors.
5. If any passengers are trapped, they go to push them.
6. When they have finished their area, they go to help in another area. At this point, if the straps of a bag, particularly a rucksack, are trapped, as the doors do not open immediately, it may be difficult for the owner of the bag to get off the train. Pushers watch especially carefully for this. They also do the work of a , pulling off passengers who try to get on too late, or when the train is too full.
7. After the doors have closed, they hold up a flag, hand, or lamp to signal the conductor
   Conductor (transportation)
   A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
   
    or driver that it is safe to depart.