passenger mile

Or passen·ger-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.

Other Word Forms

• passenger mileage noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of passenger mile¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The rate varies by location, the department said; for trips within Seattle, drivers will earn 66 cents per passenger minute and $1.55 per passenger mile, or $5.81 a trip, whichever is greater.

Read more on Seattle Times

For trips outside of Seattle, drivers will earn 38 cents per passenger minute and $1.31 per passenger mile, or $3.37 a trip, whichever is greater.

Read more on Seattle Times

Despite news of recent derailments, rail is safer than cars, per passenger mile traveled.

Read more on Seattle Times

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.

Read more on Scientific American

If they ran full, buses would emit 0.18 pound of CO2 per passenger mile, making them comparable to rail but at a much lower cost.

Read more on Scientific American