Passenger Management and Emergency Procedures
What this domain tests
Questions on passenger management test your authority and judgment: when you may refuse to board someone, how to de-escalate a conflict, and what to do first in a fire, crash, or evacuation. Florida expects the driver to act, not to wait for someone else.
Managing passengers
- You may refuse to board a passenger who is clearly intoxicated, armed, violent, or carrying a prohibited item; call dispatch and, if needed, law enforcement.
- Deal with conflicts calmly and from a position that keeps you near the door and the radio; do not turn your back or leave the bus unattended with passengers aboard.
- If a fight or threat continues, stop the bus in a safe place, secure the brake, and call 911/dispatch.
- Do not physically restrain a passenger except to prevent imminent harm; your safety and the safety of the bus come first.
- Never allow a passenger to stand forward of the standee line, ride in the stepwell, or distract you while you are driving.
Emergency procedures
- Fire: stop, shut off the engine, set the brake, evacuate upwind and away from traffic, then call 911. Use the extinguisher only on a small fire you can approach safely; do not fully open an engine cover that is hot.
- Evacuation: know every exit - service door, emergency windows, roof hatches, rear door. Give clear directions, help injured or disabled passengers, and move the group at least 100 feet from the vehicle and away from traffic.
- Account for every passenger after evacuation; report missing or injured passengers to responders.
- Warning devices: place reflectors or fuses within 10 minutes - 10 feet behind the bus, 100 feet behind, and 100 feet ahead on a two-lane road; on a divided highway place them 10, 100, and 200 feet to the rear.
- Report the incident to the carrier and complete required paperwork.
Worked example
Smoke pours from under the dash while the bus is loaded. The driver stops, sets the parking brake, shuts off the engine, and opens the door only after checking for traffic. Passengers evacuate upwind to the sidewalk; the driver does a head count, calls 911, and places reflectors. The driver does not lift the hood fully or stay inside to diagnose the problem. Order matters: stop, secure, evacuate, account, then communicate.
Traps that cost marks
- Evacuating passengers into a traffic lane.
- Using water on an electrical or fuel fire.
- Forgetting the head count.
- Placing reflectors at 10 feet only.
- Trying to subdue a violent passenger alone instead of stopping and calling for help.