Percent seated capacity
The percentage of seated capacity (total seats as a percentage of total passenger places) is a useful indicator of service quality. In many cities, buses carry a high proportion of standing passengers, in order to maximize capacity. This makes efficient use of vehicles, but at the expense of passenger comfort, particularly when journey times are long.
A high proportion of seated passengers provides more comfort, but requires more vehicles to carry a given number of passengers. Therefore the cost per passenger is higher.
A typical urban bus will carry approximately 40 passengers seated and 30 standing; if all buses are of this configuration the percent seated capacity for the fleet will be approximately 60%. Some buses, particularly those used on premium quality services, carry 100% seated passengers. Others, particularly those used on busy short-distance routes, may carry 20% or less seated passengers.