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Jeepney Passenger Capacity

In a rural area of the Philippines, an old Jeepney is used to transport passengers along a bumpy dirt road route. The Jeepney is 11 meters long, with 10 meters of that length used for passenger seating in two rows facing each other. The vehicle weighs 3200 kg when empty.

Consider the following information:

  • The average passenger weighs 60 kg.
  • Each passenger requires about 50 cm of seating width.
  • The jeepney’s four old tires can each safely support an additional load of 500 kg beyond the vehicle’s weight.
  • For safety on the bumpy road, the driver wants to keep at least 10 cm of space between seated passengers.

 

🚐 Jeepney Capacity Challenge Engineering Spec Sheet: Calculate max payload for the rural route Vehicle Blueprint Total Length: 11 m Seating Area: 10 m TOP-DOWN SEATING VIEW ROW 1 (10 meters) ROW 2 (10 meters) 📏 Space Constraints Seat per passenger: 50 cm Required safety gap: + 10 cm Seating layout: 2 Facing Rows ⚖️ Weight Constraints Avg Passenger Wt: 60 kg Empty Vehicle Wt: 3,200 kg Number of Tires: 4 Tires Extra load per Tire: + 500 kg max ⚠️ The Challenge: Calculate the max capacity based on SPACE, then based on WEIGHT. Which one is the true limit?

Questions

a) Based on the seating space available, what is the maximum number of passengers that could fit in the jeepney?

b) Based on the weight limits of the tires, what is the maximum number of passengers the jeepney could carry?

c) Given both the seating space and weight constraints, how many passengers should the driver allow on the jeepney for a safe journey?

d) If the jeepney makes 4 trips a day on this route, how many passengers can it transport in a week?

Solution

a) Seating space calculation:
– Total seating length: 10 meters = 1000 cm
– Space per passenger: 50 cm + 10 cm (safety space) = 60 cm
– Number of passengers per row: 1000 cm ÷ 60 cm = 16.67
– Rounded down: 16 passengers per row
– Total for two rows: 16 × 2 = 32 passengers

b) Weight limit calculation:
– Total additional weight capacity: 500 kg × 4 tires = 2000 kg
– Weight capacity per passenger: 60 kg
– Maximum passengers by weight: 2000 kg ÷ 60 kg = 33.33
– Rounded down: 33 passengers

c) Safe passenger limit:
The lower of the two constraints should be used for safety.
Seating constraint: 32 passengers
Weight constraint: 33 passengers
Safe passenger limit: 32 passengers

d) Weekly passenger capacity:
– Daily capacity: 32 passengers × 4 trips = 128 passengers
– Weekly capacity (assuming 7-day operation): 128 × 7 = 896 passengers

Therefore, the jeepney can safely transport 32 passengers per trip, and up to 896 passengers in a week.

✅ Official Safety & Capacity Report Step-by-step resolution for space, weight, and weekly transport limits a) Seating Space Limit Total length: 10 m = 1,000 cm Space per person: 50 + 10 = 60 cm Pass. per row: 1,000 ÷ 60 = 16.67 (Round down to 16 people per row) Total (2 rows): 16 × 2 = 32 32 Passengers Max b) Weight Load Limit Added capacity: 500 kg × 4 tires Max Payload = 2,000 kg Pass. by weight: 2,000 ÷ 60 kg = 33.33 (Round down to 33 people) 33 Passengers Max c) Safe Passenger Limit Rule: Always use the LOWER limit! SPACE LIMIT 32 VS WEIGHT LIMIT 33 TRUE SAFE LIMIT 32 d) Weekly Transport Capacity Daily: 32 pass. × 4 trips = 128/day Weekly: 128 pass. × 7 days = 896 TOTAL WEEKLY PASSENGERS 896