Transporting Passengers
Transporting passengers tests loading and unloading, standee rules, baggage, emergency exits, railroad crossings, and passenger management. The safety logic is simple: passengers are not cargo and cannot be expected to brace themselves.
Loading and riding
Stop in a safe place, set the parking brake, and supervise boarding. Passengers may not stand forward of the standee line, and no one may ride in the aisle while the bus is moving. Secure baggage so it cannot fall or block the aisle. Keep emergency exits clear and know how to operate them. Do not fuel with passengers aboard. Do not allow smoking. Give a ride check after starting: look for standees, unrestrained children, and open doors.
Railroad crossings
A bus carrying passengers must stop at a railroad crossing within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail, unless an officer or flagger directs it through. Turn off noisy equipment, open the door if the design allows, look and listen, and cross without shifting gears.
Worked example
A 47-passenger charter bus approaches a rural crossing with no signal. The driver slows, stops 20 feet from the rail, turns off the radio, opens the door, looks both ways, and crosses in a gear that will not require a shift. The reasoning: a bus is long and slow, and a stall on the crossing is catastrophic; stopping and listening are the only reliable checks.
Traps
Allowing standees ahead of the standee line; fueling with passengers aboard; rolling through a crossing; and blocking the aisle with baggage.