Unsafe Bus Stop and Wheelchair Lift Deployment
You are operating a 35-foot transit bus on a two-lane road with a 45-mph limit. Your stop is on the right just beyond the crest of a hill. The shoulder is narrow, and the ground beside it slopes down about 8 degrees toward a ditch. Fourteen passengers are aboard, including one in a manual wheelchair and one using a walker. Two passengers are standing near the front door because the seats are full. A line of cars is behind you. The bus stop sign is 20 feet past a driveway. It is raining lightly. The wheelchair passenger wants to board at this stop, and the lift is on the right side. Your schedule allows a 30-second dwell time. You have already passed the driveway, and the next safe pullout is a half-mile ahead.
1. Decide whether to stop at the signed stop or at the next safe location. Explain the factors that control your decision, including bus position, slope, and traffic.
Read the worked answer
Do not deploy the lift at this signed stop. The location combines a blind crest, a narrow shoulder, an 8-degree side slope, wet pavement, and traffic behind you. An 8-degree slope is roughly a 14% cross slope, which is far steeper than the level surface most lift manufacturers allow. Deploying a lift there risks the wheelchair rolling, the lift binding, or the passenger falling.
Stopping just over a blind crest is also unsafe. Cars coming over the hill may not see the bus in time, and passengers would be exposed between the bus and traffic. The 30-second schedule allowance does not justify an unsafe stop.
Continue slowly to the next safe pullout a half-mile ahead. Notify dispatch and the passengers of the change, and tell the wheelchair passenger why. At the new location, choose a level, firm surface; pull as far off the travel lane as practical; use hazard flashers; set the parking brake; and place the transmission in Park before operating the lift. If no level, safe location is available, the passenger must wait for a safer stop or alternative transport.
2. Describe the boarding and alighting sequence at the safe stop, including the standing passengers, the walker, and the wheelchair.
Read the worked answer
At the safe stop: stop smoothly, set the parking brake, place the transmission in Park, and turn on hazard flashers. Check the right mirror and blind spots before opening the door. Keep the aisle and exit path clear; the two standing passengers must stay behind the standee line and not block the door or aisle.
For the wheelchair passenger: deploy the lift only on the level surface, assist the passenger onto the platform, raise it fully, and bring the wheelchair aboard. Secure the wheelchair with a four-point tiedown, set the wheel lock, and use the lap/shoulder belt. Do not let the wheelchair sit in the aisle. For the passenger with the walker, let them board at their own pace, fold or stow the walker so it does not block the aisle, and ensure they are seated before moving.
Before leaving, count passengers and confirm everyone is seated or safely standing. At alighting, stop fully, set the brake, and check mirrors. Deploy the lift if needed and assist the wheelchair passenger off. Have the walking passenger use the handrail. After the door is closed and the aisle is clear, check mirrors again and signal before pulling out. If a passenger is still standing in an unsafe position, wait.