Loading and Unloading Passengers, Including Standee and Seating Rules
Loading and unloading is the highest-risk phase of passenger operations because riders are moving around the vehicle and near traffic. The core duties are to stop in a safe, legal location, set the parking brake, and supervise boarding and alighting. Announce or observe that passengers are seated or braced before moving, and never move the bus while someone is standing in the aisle or on the steps. Count passengers when the situation requires it (school and charter operations) so no one is left behind.
Standee rules matter for the passenger endorsement. Standees are permitted only where the vehicle is designed and authorized to carry them, and only up to the posted capacity. Passengers may not stand forward of the standee line, on the stairwell, or in the aisle while the bus is in motion. Seated passengers must remain seated until the bus stops. Do not allow riders to block the aisle or exits.
Traps: questions that imply a driver may let passengers stand anywhere if the bus is crowded (no-capacity and standee line limits apply), questions about unloading on the traffic side of the street (avoid when possible; use the curb side), and scenarios where a passenger wants to exit between stops (only at safe, designated locations). Another common trap is forgetting to secure wheelchairs and mobility devices and to use the lift or ramp properly.
Rule of thumb: the bus does not move until every passenger is seated or behind the standee line and clear of the aisle and steps. Worked example: a crowded bus has riders standing in the stairwell as it pulls away. That is a violation-those riders must move behind the standee line or wait for the next bus.