Bus stops, manoeuvres and route hazards

The PCV theory test returns again and again to the same three moments: arriving at a stop, leaving it, and meeting something on the route the vehicle does not fit. Each one depends on knowing exactly how much space your vehicle sweeps.

Approaching, using and leaving a bus stop

Coming in

Check the nearside mirror early. Cyclists often ride along the kerb towards a stop, and passengers waiting may be standing close to the edge. Signal, slow down progressively and pull in parallel and close to the kerb, so passengers can step straight on and off and a wheelchair ramp sits level.

Watch the nearside mirror head. On a crowded stop it can strike a waiting passenger’s head or a lamp post. Approach a crowded stop slowly and stop with the mirror clear of people.

Do not clip the kerb. It damages tyres, and a sudden jolt unsettles standing passengers.

At the stop

Use the full length of the bus stop markings, which keep the space clear for buses, so the whole vehicle is in the bay. Apply the parking brake if the stop is more than momentary or you leave the seat; check the doors in the monitor before closing them.

Leaving

Check the offside mirror, signal and check again. Under Rule 223 of the Highway Code, other drivers should give priority to buses signalling to pull out from stops when it is safe, but you cannot assume they will.

As you steer out to the right, two things happen:

Rear tail swing is the one candidates forget. Turning sharply out of a stop near a shelter or a queue can sweep the rear over the pavement. Pull forward a little before steering, if space allows, to reduce it.

Manoeuvres in depots and stations

Reversing a bus is risky because the view behind is limited. Use a banksman where provided, stop if you lose sight of them, and never reverse out of a bus station stand without following the station procedure. Drivers in the depot have to watch for staff walking between vehicles.

Hazards along the route

A route you drive every day still holds hazards a car driver would never meet.

Height. A double-decker is much taller than a lorry cab. Know your vehicle’s height from the marker in the cab and remember it when a diversion takes you off the normal route. Low railway bridges, overhanging trees and shop canopies can strike the upper deck. Trees in summer foliage, or after storms, often sit lower over the kerbside lane than you expect.

Narrow streets and parked cars. Plan where you will meet oncoming traffic, and stop early at a wide point rather than squeezing through. Wing mirrors on a bus are high enough to hit a lorry mirror or a high-sided van coming the other way.

Road humps and traffic calming. Speed cushions are usually designed for bus wheels to straddle, but take them slowly. Upper deck passengers feel the motion most.

Level crossings. A long bus takes longer to clear a crossing. Do not start to cross unless you can see your exit is clear. Where a sign at a crossing tells drivers of large or slow vehicles to use the railway telephone, you must phone for permission to cross, and phone again once clear if asked.

Schools and stops near shops. Children run for the bus. If they are approaching from across the road, wait for them on the stop rather than moving away while they cross.

Weather. Spray from a bus hides the road behind; strong side winds push a high-sided double-decker across the lane on exposed roads and bridges. Ice forms on rural routes long after towns have thawed.

Diversions and roadworks. A temporary route set up for cars may not suit a bus. Check heights and widths before following it, and report it to control if it is unsafe.

The theory test’s typical trap is the confident answer: “follow the diversion signs, they are planned for all traffic”. For a high or long vehicle the safer answer is to check.

The vehicle height you need is checked every morning in the bus and coach daily walkaround check. The passengers you are protecting while doing all this are the subject of passenger safety, braking and accessibility. For practice, the stop and pull-out scenes in the PCV hazard scenarios show these risks on a moving road.