Bus Stops, Boarding, and Alighting Procedures
What this domain tests
Stopping, boarding, and alighting questions check whether you can put the bus where passengers can get on and off without walking into traffic, and whether you control the door and the vehicle until every passenger is clear. Florida items often hinge on the order of steps.
Approaching and stopping
- Signal early and slow smoothly; check mirrors and the right blind spot before committing to the stop.
- Pull as close to the curb as practical without striking it, and stop parallel to the curb.
- Avoid stopping in an intersection, on a crosswalk, in a fire lane, or where passengers would have to step into a traffic lane.
- Set the parking brake, place the transmission in the proper gear, and keep your foot on the brake until the door is closed.
- Use four-way flashers where required by company policy or state law, but never as a substitute for signaling.
Boarding
- Open the door only after the bus is fully stopped.
- Count passengers as they board and watch for passengers who need assistance or extra time.
- Watch the stepwell and handrails; a passenger who falls while boarding is a preventable injury.
- Close the door and confirm no one is in the stepwell before moving. Make sure seated passengers are seated and standees are behind the standee line.
Alighting
- Stop fully before opening the door; never let passengers step off a moving bus.
- Check the right mirror and look for cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles passing on the right.
- Discharge passengers onto a sidewalk or shoulder, never into a live traffic lane.
- At the end of the route, walk the bus and check for sleeping passengers, children, and belongings before securing the vehicle.
Worked example
A passenger pulls the stop request just past an intersection and asks to be let out at the corner because it is closer to her house. The bus is still in the intersection approach and the curb has a fire hydrant and a blind driveway. The correct answer: do not stop there. Continue to the next legal, safe stop and explain. Stopping on the crosswalk or beside the hydrant would force her into traffic and violate the stopping rules; convenience does not override the safe-stop requirement.
Traps that cost marks
- Opening the door before the bus is fully stopped.
- Stopping "close enough" and letting passengers cross a lane.
- Pulling away while a passenger is still in the stepwell or the door is open.
- Forgetting to check for cyclists before opening the door.
- Assuming the stop request means "stop immediately".