Loading and Unloading Passengers
Loading and Unloading Passengers tests stop procedure, door control, standee limits, and passenger assistance. Maryland expects you to keep the bus still while riders board or exit and to pull away only when the aisle and stepwell are clear.
Stop and boarding rules
Stop only at designated stops. Pull close and parallel to the curb, set the parking brake, and use four-way flashers or hazard lights as required. Keep the door closed until the bus is fully stopped. Open the door, watch the stepwell, and allow elderly or disabled riders time; deploy the lift or ramp and secure wheelchair tiedowns. No passenger may stand forward of the standee line or in the stepwell while the bus is moving. Announce stops so riders can prepare. Before leaving, close the door, check mirrors and blind spots, signal, and re-check before moving.
Worked example
A rider with a walker is waiting at a stop. You stop, set the brake, lower the bus, deploy the ramp, assist the rider to a seat, and confirm the walker is stowed. You do not move until the rider is seated and the aisle is clear. Moving early risks a fall and a preventable injury claim.
Traps
Pulling away with the door open; stopping in the traffic lane instead of the curb; forgetting hazard lights; letting passengers stand in the stepwell; skipping the end-of-run check for sleeping or left-behind passengers.