Safe Driving Practices and Hazard Perception with Passengers Aboard
Smooth driving protects passengers
Passengers are unrestrained and standing riders are especially vulnerable, so speed, following distance, and turn technique matter more than in a car. Accelerate and brake gradually, complete turns slowly, and avoid sudden lane changes. Use the pivot method for right turns: swing wide enough to keep the rear wheels from climbing the curb, and watch the rear in the right-side mirror. Remember off-tracking - the rear of a long bus cuts inside the front path.
Space and visibility
Maintain at least one second per ten feet of vehicle length at speeds under 40 mph, and add a second above 40 mph. Add following distance for rain, darkness, or a heavy passenger load. Scan far ahead, check mirrors on a cycle, and cover the brake when a hazard is developing. Watch for passengers moving in the aisle before braking.
Hazard perception
Anticipate the predictable hazards: riders standing to exit before a stop, pedestrians hurrying to a bus, cyclists in the mirror blind spot, and vehicles passing a stopped bus. At stops, treat the area around the bus as a work zone - children and pedestrians may appear from behind the bus.
Traps
Questions test whether you may use a cell phone while driving with passengers (no, and hands-free rules still restrict texting and holding), and whether passengers may stand while the bus is moving (only behind the standee line and where permitted). Another trap is using the left mirror alone for a right turn.
Worked example
Approaching a stop with a passenger walking forward, ease off the throttle early and let the rider reach a handhold before braking, rather than braking hard at the stop.