Loading and unloading passengers, and safe boarding/alighting
This domain tests loading and unloading as a controlled procedure: choosing a safe stop, securing the bus, protecting the door zone, and accounting for passengers before moving. The exam favors orderly, predictable actions over speed.
Secure the stop
Stop parallel and close to the curb at a designated location, not in an intersection or on a blind curve. Set the parking brake, place an automatic in Park or a manual in Neutral, and shut off the engine if you leave the driver's seat. Keep the door closed until the bus is fully stopped. Open the door only when it is safe for passengers to step out.
Boarding and alighting
Watch the stepwell and handrail. Let alighting passengers clear the door zone before boarding begins. Count passengers and check mirrors for late runners, bicycles, and pedestrians. Close the door before moving; verify it is fully closed and the aisle is clear. Move only after passengers are seated or holding a handrail. Never let a passenger cross immediately in front of the bus without making eye contact.
Worked example
A passenger runs toward the bus as you begin to close the door. The safe choice is to keep the door closed and wave the person back from the curb, then pull away slowly. Reopening the door after the bus is in motion, or stopping abruptly in traffic, creates a fall and struck-by risk.
Traps
Stopping too far from the curb, opening the door before a full stop, and pulling away before the door is closed are frequent errors. Do not use the passenger door as a way to hurry boarding.