Small nit, but guessing this is crow's flight distance which doesn't equal path distance. Regardless, this still isn't surprising. Short rides happen all the time.
How is the data input on # of passengers? Could it be that it's just easier to hit "1 person" all the time regardless? Are there cabbies that always have the same #?
though a bit surprising : 45% of rides are single person rides. But then I wonder : what's surprising : is it low or is it high?