Staggered hours have been promoted as a means of spreading demand across a longer time span-for example, in Rush Hour (1941 film) and by the International Labour Office. Season tickets or multi-ride tickets, sold at a discount, are commonly used in rush hours by commuters, and may or may not reflect rush hour fare differentials. Similarly, public transport fares may be higher during peak periods this is often presented as an off peak discount for single fares.

Transport demand management, such as road pricing or a congestion charge, is designed to induce people to alter their travel timing to minimize congestion. If there is inadequate capacity, this can make public transport less attractive, leading to higher car use and partly shifting the congestion to roads. The resulting crowding may force many passengers to stand, and others may be unable to board. However, the increase in capacity is often less than the increased number of passengers, due to the limits on available vehicles, staff and, in the case of rail transport, track capacity including platform length. The frequency of public transport service is usually higher in the rush hour, and longer trains or larger vehicles are often used. Peak traffic periods may vary from country to country, city to city, from region to region, and seasonally. The name is sometimes a misnomer, as the peak period often lasts more than one hour and the 'rush' refers to the volume of traffic, not the speed of its flow. By analogy to vehicular traffic, the term Internet rush hour has been used to describe periods of peak data network usage, resulting in delays and slower delivery of data packets.

The term is very broad, but often refers specifically to private automobile transportation traffic, even when there is a large volume of cars on a road but not many people, or if the volume is normal but there is some disruption of speed. The term is often used for a period of peak congestion that may last for more than one hour. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: once in the morning and once in the afternoon or evening, the times during which most people commute. Morning rush hour on the New York City Subway platform at Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue Afternoon rush hour traffic on Interstate 95 in MiamiĪ rush hour ( American English, British English) or peak hour ( Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. JSTOR ( February 2007) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

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Peakhour windows