The Night Stop with a Wheelchair Passenger
At 02:20 you are driving a 47-passenger coach with 22 passengers on a rural two-lane highway in western Montana. The temperature is 18°F, snowbanks line both sides, and there are no streetlights. Your schedule lists a stop at 'Mile 14 pullout,' a 9-foot gravel shoulder with a slope toward a ditch. A passenger in a manual wheelchair, traveling with two large suitcases, wants to get off there; her ride is parked across the highway. A lighted, level gravel lot at a closed gas station is 300 feet ahead. Traffic is light but vehicles pass at 55 mph. The passenger says she has missed this stop before and does not want to go farther. Your company policy requires passenger counts at every stop and securement of mobility devices.
1. Where should you stop, and how do you handle the passenger's insistence on the scheduled pullout?
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I should not stop at the Mile 14 pullout if it is a 9-foot sloping gravel shoulder next to a ditch, with snowbanks, darkness, and traffic passing at 55 mph. A wheelchair lift needs a level, firm surface, and the passenger would be exposed to traffic while unloading and crossing. I would tell the passenger and the other passengers that I am proceeding 300 feet to the lighted, level lot for a safer stop. I would use the PA system, turn on flashers, and set the parking brake before opening the door. Her preference does not override the hazard. If the lot entrance is icy, I would inspect it before positioning the coach. I would not let her cross the highway from the unsafe shoulder just because her ride is parked there.
2. How should you deploy the lift and secure the wheelchair once you are in the lot?
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I would position the coach so the lift deploys on the curb side away from traffic, with the coach fully off the roadway. I would set the parking brake, turn on flashers, and use the lift only on a level, firm surface. I would deploy the lift, lock the wheelchair, use the lift's safety belt, and use a spotter or ask a companion to help watch the passenger. At the ground, I would secure the wheelchair inside the coach with a four-point tiedown and a lap/shoulder belt, and I would not move the coach until the device is secure and the passenger is seated. I would count passengers at the stop and again after boarding. If the lift or securement equipment is defective, I would not use it; I would call for assistance.
3. The passenger refuses securement and says she will cross the highway to her ride. What do you do?
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I would explain that company policy and safety require the wheelchair to be secured before the coach moves, and that crossing a 55-mph highway at night from an unlit shoulder is too dangerous. I would not physically restrain her, but I would not move the coach with an unsecured mobility device. I would call my supervisor and, if she insists on crossing, ask for law enforcement or the local transit provider to assist. I would document the refusal, the time, and the actions I took. I would not leave the coach unattended with passengers aboard. If she chooses to leave the bus, I would make sure she is clear of the coach before moving and would report the incident.