I have been wondering if there is any time-benefit to the shoving onto a train often seen here in Singapore. After some math and a day of counting train-trips, I ended up with these calculations.
Taking Turns:
Avg 10 Seconds - time for the last passenger to exit a train when no-one is trying to get on at the same time.
Avg 5 Seconds - time from the time the last passenger exits to when all passengers are on board if everyone has exited first.
--Total Avg 15 Seconds--
All at Once:
Avg 15 to 20 Seconds - time for the last passenger to board / exit if people are boarding and exiting at the same time.
From a group perspective there is little difference, but from an individual perspective there is a big loss/gain difference. If the first passenger in line to board shoves their way onto the train they can board in less than 3 Seconds, but if they wait for the last passenger to exit they loose 10 seconds waiting on the platform. The first passenger exiting by shoving past the people boarding only looses a few milliseconds, the people that follow loose considerably more until the final exiting passenger can loose at least 5 Seconds. The last passenger boarding the train doesn't really loose or gain in either situation.
Group think can also play a role here as there is a sufficient number of people willing to shove onto the train. So forcing yourself to wait for all the passengers to exit while you watch other people shove their way on the train can make those 10 seconds seem like forever. The relativity of time strikes again. With fixed train-schedules, the logic is obviously "board faster so you can spend more time waiting".
Image Source: http://www.time-management-central.net/time-management-forms.html
