Seated to standing ratio

The seated to standing ratio is the ratio between the number of passengers that can be seated and the number of standing passengers on a public transport vehicle. I higher standing ratio allows for more passengers in a given area, but detracts the perceived quality of the transport, in particular over long distances. [cite book |title=Public Transport: Its Planning, Management, and Operation |author=White, Peter |year=2002 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=d1oZxyjPDF4C |isnb=0-415-25772-7] Its application is normally limited to urban mass transit due to intercity transport only offering seated travel.

The longer the journey, the less willing passengers will be able to stand. In urban mass transit, high standing capacity is used to rationalize operation, and serves as an extra capacity to use during rush hour. While most travelers may be seated during off-peak services, only a limited number will be seated during the peak services. On longer haul services, bilevel cars are often used to allow for increased seating, though this increases the loading time and station stops; making increased seating ratio and service time tradeoffs. On intercity services with train or coach, the willingness among passengers is often so low that no standing is available. This is often combined with reserved seating to insure that all passengers can be seated. In aviation, safety measures require all passengers and crew to be seated during take-off and landing, forcing airlines to not have standing passenger places.

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