Loading, Unloading, and Passenger Safety
This domain tests how you stop, board and alight passengers, secure baggage and wheelchairs, and keep the passenger compartment safe. Colorado passenger-endorsement questions often turn on aisle clearance, standee rules, and securement, because these affect evacuation and vehicle balance.
Stops and boarding
- Pull close to the curb, set the parking brake, place the transmission in park or neutral, and open the door only after the bus is stopped.
- Watch each passenger board and alight. Count passengers when loading and unloading so no one is left behind or left in traffic.
- At night, turn on interior lights so passengers can see steps and handrails.
- Never let a passenger step into traffic without your signal and a clear view of approaching vehicles.
Passenger and baggage rules
- Keep aisles, stairwells, and exits clear. Baggage must be secured in racks or compartments, never in the aisle or in front of an exit.
- Standees are allowed only if the bus is designed for standing passengers. Keep them behind the standee line and off stairs and stepwells.
- Do not carry hazardous materials, including gasoline cans or propane cylinders, except as allowed by regulation.
- Secure a wheelchair with a four-point tie-down attached to the vehicle frame and use a separate occupant lap/shoulder belt. Lock the wheelchair brakes.
Capacity
Never exceed the posted seating or standing capacity. Overloading lengthens stopping distance and reduces the number of people who can evacuate quickly.
Worked example
A passenger boards with a large suitcase and sets it in the aisle because the rack is full. You must not move. The aisle is part of the evacuation path, and a bag there can trip passengers or block an exit. Find a secure baggage compartment, or tell the passenger the bag cannot ride in the aisle. Only after the aisle is clear do you close the door and proceed.
Traps that cost marks
Leaving the door open while waiting; not counting passengers; letting luggage block an exit; assuming a wheelchair is secure without an occupant belt; allowing standees forward of the standee line; and forgetting that capacity limits apply even on short trips.