Loading and Unloading Passengers
Loading and Unloading Passengers
The exam tests whether you can board and discharge riders without creating a fall, a blocked aisle, or an overloaded bus. Illinois rules center on a safe stop, supervision, capacity, and keeping the aisle and exits clear.
Core rules
- Stop only at a safe, designated place. Set the parking brake, place the transmission in neutral or park as required, and supervise boarding.
- Do not move until passengers are seated or standing behind the standee line. Never allow anyone forward of the line, in the stairwell, or on steps.
- Know the bus capacity: seated passengers plus standees only where the bus is designed for standees. Do not exceed it.
- Secure baggage and cargo so nothing blocks the aisle, doorway, or emergency exit. Do not load baggage that cannot be stowed.
- Count passengers when loading and unloading, especially school-age or impaired riders. Account for every person before pulling away.
- Discharge passengers only at a safe location, not on a narrow shoulder or where they must cross traffic to an unsafe spot.
- Assist riders who need help; allow service animals as required.
Worked example
A bus with 40 seats and a standee line is full. Three riders board and stand in the aisle ahead of the line. The driver should not accept them. The rule is not to find a handhold; standees forward of the line are prohibited. The driver asks them to exit or waits for the next bus.
Traps
- Letting riders stand in the stairwell just to the next stop.
- Loading at a mid-block stop because it is convenient.
- Forgetting a sleeping child or an exit-only passenger.
- Allowing bags in the aisle because the overhead rack is full.