passenger mile

American  

Or passenger-mile

noun

1. a unit of measurement, consisting of one mile traveled by a passenger, that airlines, railroads, and other public transportation facilities use in recording volume of traffic.

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Other Word Forms

• passenger mileage
  noun

Etymology

Origin of passenger mile

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Buses, which generally run at about 25 percent capacity, emit 0.64 pound of CO2 per passenger mile, according to data from the Department of Defense.

From Scientific American • May 17, 2023

Cruise ships are more polluting per passenger mile than any other form of travel, burning 30 to 50 gallons of fossil fuels for each mile traveled.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 23, 2022

Each such substitution is a step toward curbing climate change, because e-bikes produce significantly lower emissions per passenger mile than even an electric car.

From Slate • Jul. 29, 2022

In 2019, Amtrak subsidies per passenger mile were 34 times larger.

From Washington Post • Jun. 30, 2021

The runabout made 457 miles in the same time, and the cost per passenger mile was 1.8 cents.

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 21 The Recent Days (1910-1914) by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)