RAMP OP RAMP DEP PROC ALL FOULED UP. ACFT HITS TUG DURING TAXI ATTEMPT BUT ISN'T TOLD UNTIL AT DEST ARPT.

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ACFT ARRIVED LATE IN CHS. GND TIME MINIMAL AND CREW BUSY TO LEAVE ON TIME. ACARS HAD TO BE RESET BY PULLING CIRCUIT BREAKERS. CHKLIST RUN AND PUSH NORMAL. CLRED BY PUSHBACK CREW TO START ENGS #1 AND #2. STARTED #1. CAPT ADVISED PUSH CREW STARTING #2. WHILE STARTING #2 PUSH CREW ASKED TO DISCONNECT AND SET BRAKES. CAPT SET BRAKES AND TOLD PUSH CREW TO DISCONNECT. #2 ENG WAS STABLE AND GENERATOR PUT ON LINE. AFTER START CHKLIST RUN AND FLAPS SET AT 5 DEGS; TKOF DATA WAS CHKED BY CAPT AND REDUCED TKOF PWR WAS SET TO 100 DEGS F. GND CALLED BY CREW AND INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO RWY 21; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 15. ELAPSED TIME 3-4 MINS. CAPT AND MYSELF LOOKED OUT AND NO ONE IN VIEW. NO TUG. NO PUSH CREW OR ACFT MARSHALLER FOR WAVE OFF. COULDN'T SEE ANYONE. PWR WAS ADVANCED AND STEERING WAS NOT NORMAL. ACFT MOVED FORWARD. ACFT WAS STOPPED BY THE CAPT. AN FO SAW PUSH CREW RUNNING FROM UNDER NOSE OF ACFT. PUSH CREW PULLED STEERING BYPASS PIN AND MOVED TUG OFF. PUSH CREW SIGNALED TO LEAVE BUT WAS CALLED BACK TO ACFT. FLC WANTED TO TALK TO PUSH CREW ON HEADSETS TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED. PUSH CREW HAD TO RUN BACK TO TERMINAL TO GET HEADSETS. FLC DID NOT RECEIVE STANDARD TERMINOLOGY ON PUSH-BACK AND ASSUMED THAT GND CREW WAS INEXPERIENCED. WITH THAT IN MIND; FLC WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN NO ONE IN SIGHT AND NO ONE ON HEADSETS. GND CREW SHOULD HAVE LET FLC KNOW THERE WAS A PROB WITH THE STEERING BYPASS PIN. FLC WAS NOT AWARE THERE WAS ANY PROB AT ALL. LASTLY; EVERYONE IN A HURRY TO MAKE SCHEDULE. NEED MORE SLACK IN SCHEDULE FOR TAXI AND TKOF TIME. MAKING UP 10 MINS ON A 20 MIN GND TIME IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE. THIS TYPE OF RUSHING SETS UP A SERIES OF EVENTS WHERE SAFETY IS COMPROMISED.