Bus and Coach Drivers
Drive buses and coaches to transport passengers over established routes and to points of interest.
Route 12 on a school day
You are a city bus driver on the Route 12 timetable, covering the morning and afternoon school runs through suburban streets. It is 7:40am. The bus is almost full, the traffic is slow and you are already three minutes behind. A group of students is waiting at the next stop.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I have lost my card and I have no money on me. Please can I just get on? My mum is at work and I can't call her. I will get detention if I am late again.
Tell him he must get off, because no payment means no ride
You follow the rule, and Tyler is left at the stop in the cold. He is late, upset and unsafe near a busy road, and the bus is a bit later too.
Let him ride, and log it as your company's process says
Tyler sits down and is grateful. You record the details as the company asks, and he arrives at school on time.
Let him ride, and quietly pay his fare from your own pocket every day this week
It is a generous thought, but it hides a problem the company could have fixed. Other students notice, and you cannot carry the cost of everyone.
I have been waiting for the last bus, which did not stop. I am trying to get to a medical appointment. Is there room for me on yours? I can see you are running behind, so I understand if you cannot.
Let him board but ask him to hurry, since you are already behind schedule
He boards, but he feels like a nuisance, and rushing a ramp and a wheelchair is how mistakes happen. Taking an extra minute would have been kinder and safer.
Tell him you are running late and the next bus will be along soon
He is left waiting again, and may miss his appointment. Accessible transport is a right, not a favour, and your timetable is no excuse.
Pull in, lower the ramp, secure Mr Osei safely and tell the passengers why
Mr Osei is aboard and settled in minutes and reaches his appointment on time. The passengers are patient, and the control room is told about the delay.
Route 12, there is a water main break on the main road ahead. It's closed. We are working on a detour but have not signed it off yet. Can you keep going on the usual route and see if you can get through?
Keep going on the usual route and try to get through, since control asked you to
You reach the closure with a full bus and nowhere to turn. Passengers are delayed more, and the bus is stuck in the road.
Ask control for a confirmed detour, hold safely and tell passengers
Control confirms the detour a few minutes later. You tell passengers what is happening and what to expect, and the school arrives only a little late.
Pick a detour of your own, without telling anyone
Your detour works, but control does not know where you are, and some stops on the usual route are missed. Passengers wait without any information.
How it went
The bus reached the school, a student got there on time, and every passenger got on safely. Bus and coach driving is steady, responsible work where the people on board rely on you. Would you enjoy a job where the day is never quite the same twice?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The tour that ran out of hours
A fictional case set in a fictional city bus depot, with school routes, intercity coach runs and charter tours.
The situation
Tomasz drove coaches for a charter company. On the last day of a four-day tour, the tour leader asked him to add one more stop at a lookout, then a long run home. By the time they left the lookout, Tomasz had been working for most of the day and his log book was nearly at the daily limit. The group was cheerful, the weather was perfect and the leader said they would be home by ten. It would have been easier to say yes.
What they did
Tomasz told the leader privately that his driving hours were almost used up and that he could not legally or safely drive on past a certain time. He rang the depot, who arranged a second driver to meet them at a roadhouse halfway home. The leader was frustrated, but Tomasz explained that the rules exist because tired drivers cause accidents. He kept his log book up to date and handed over carefully to the relief driver.
How it turned out
The group arrived home an hour later than planned. A few passengers grumbled, but several thanked him for putting safety first. The company later adjusted its tour schedules to include a relief driver on the longest days, and Tomasz was asked to review future itineraries.
What would you do?
- Why did Tomasz say no to the tour leader?
- How would you feel about a job where a log book can change your day?
- What responsibilities come with driving a large group of people?