Does a bus stop bench change when people arrive?
Comfort changes timing before it changes mood.
Yes. Benches reduce the physical cost of waiting, which encourages earlier arrivals and longer tolerance for uncertainty.
A bench changes more than posture. It changes the economics of waiting.
Standing makes every minute visible. Sitting hides some of that cost. People who expect comfort are often willing to arrive earlier because the penalty for waiting feels smaller.
The hidden mechanism is waiting economics. Public infrastructure changes behavior when it changes effort.
People think benches provide seats. Often, they provide patience.
