A pillion is a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle eng ...

. A passenger in this seat is said to "ride pillion". The word is derived from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

for "little rug", ''pillean'', from the Latin ''pellis'', "animal skin". One or more pelts often were used as a secondary seat on horseback; the usage has carried over to motorcycles.

Historical references

Following its retreat from the

Battle of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk () was fought around the French Third Republic, French port of Dunkirk, Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies of World War II, Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle ...

(where it is reputed that enough equipment was left behind to equip about eight to ten divisions), the British Army introduced a requirement that all officers up to the rank of colonel should be proficient in the use of the motorcycle, and all officers holding the rank of

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

were required to be able to ride pillion. These requirements came about as a result of the large number of motor cars that were lost in action. The requirement for riding pillion was quietly dropped as large numbers of

jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

s came into service in the middle of the war.

Other terminology

"Riding two up" and "riding double" are common North American phrases for riding with a passenger. "Riding bitch" is a vulgar American expression to denote sitting between two other people in a car or truck, where the transmission housing often forms a hump in the front or back analogous to a pillion. "Bitch seat" and "bitch pad" are North American slang for the pillion on a motorcycle; "riding bitch" is North American slang for "riding pillion". In the Philippines, riding pillion is called "riding in tandem".

Licensing and restrictions

To carry a pillion passenger in the United Kingdom, one must hold a full licence for the vehicle and there must also be a proper seat and foot pegs for the passenger. In the UK, a motorcyclist is not allowed to carry more than one pillion passenger, who must sit astride the machine on a proper seat; it is forbidden to carry a pillion passenger on a motorcycle that has not been designed to do so. In Australia, vehicle operators must have held their licence (not including a learner's permit) for a minimum of one year before being legally allowed to carry a passenger where physically possible, following the upgrade to the required licence class. For example, in New South Wales, one must carry a Provisional 2 (Green) licence before being allowed to carry a pillion passenger. Pillion-riding is associated with terrorist or criminal attacks in some South Asian countries. In Pakistan, for instance, pillion riding is often banned by local authorities around sensitive times, such as the

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the tenth of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites ...

commemoration, when there have been violent attacks on worshippers. In the Philippines where policemen are already routinely checking motorcycle riders in response to increased incidence of crimes such as murder and robbery committed using a motorcycle, some cities are already considering ban on pillion riding, known as "riding in tandem" in the country. Some cities, such as

Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

, has already enforced a ban on pillion riding unless the driver and pillion passenger are married or biologically related.

References

{{wiktionary, pillion Motorcycle technology Equestrianism