a large carriage pulled by horses that was used in the past to carry passengers, and often mail, along a regular route (旧时的)驿站马车,公共马车 Stagecoaches were often attacked by robbers and bandits. 驿站马车经常遭到强盗和土匪的袭击。 They travelled by stagecoach as far as York. 他们乘公共马车旅行到了约克。 Travel by stagecoach was uncomfortable and often hazardous. 坐驿站马车出行并不舒服,而且经常会有危险。
CultureEach place where the stagecoach stopped was called a stage. Stagecoaches usually carried up to eight passengers and the driver sat outside. In the US West, stagecoaches were sometimes attacked by Native Americans or robbers. For this reason, a man with a gun often sat next to the driver. This was called 'riding shotgun', and Americans still sometimes call the front passenger's seat in a car the 'shotgun seat'.compare Conestoga wagon