Road Safety Blog

How do drivers of luxury buses face the challenges on the roads to keep us safe?

jonckie

We can only have huge respect for those who hold the lives of many passengers in their hands – and do their utmost to keep them safe from harm! Every time we board a bus or a plane we trust the driver or pilot to be a responsible individual who knows how to conduct himself behind the wheel and how to respond to the challenges on the route we are to take!

The driver of the luxury bus is not only confronted by the challenges from road and environmental conditions – but also the lawless and reckless road users – both human and animal!

We decided to approach a bus driver from Intercape with a few questions to gain greater insight as to how the meet and respond to these challenges!

  • What would you regard as the most important qualities that a driver of a luxury bus should possess?
A driver needs to portray a positive attitude, and a friendly personality to be accessible to passengers. Passengers must be able to trust their driver for their safety, so a driver must keep safety top of mind at all times and be responsible for the  actions that he takes
  • How much experience do you have in driving a bus – do you also log the kilometres travelled like the pilots do?

Intercape’s criteria is a minimum of two years’ long distance driving, in the class of vehicle that you are applying for. I have been driving these vehicles much longer than that, but don’t keep a personal log of the kilometres that I drive.

  • Do you remain on the same roads mostly or are there a rotational system as to designated routes for each bus driver?
Drivers are constantly rotated. This way we don’t end up driving on unfamiliar roads in case of unplanned rotation.
  • What do you observe on the roads as the major road behaviours from other road users that threatens your safety and the safety of your passengers?
Drivers of light motor vehicles are sometimes ignorant to / or don’t always understand the limitations in braking and turning capabilities of heavy vehicles.
  • What are the major frustrations encountered by the driver of a luxury bus?
Road conditions of “off highway” roads are not always up to standard. Smaller vehicle drivers’ attitudes towards buses are also sometimes frustrating, especially when they push into small gaps, and then brake hard.
  • What does Intercape and yourself do to avoid driver fatigue?
Intercape enforces very strict driving time management. We use 2 drivers per coach, on a “4-hour driver rotation” system and strictly comply with time off stipulations between return trips to ensure that we are well rested when embarking on our next trip
  • Is there an increased need for alertness at night as compared to driving at day time – what would the biggest risks be?
Yes, definitely, especially with wild animals crossing the road, and other road users driving fatigued, especially truckers.
  • Have you ever experienced a medical emergency amongst the passengers – Do you have a protocol of steps to take in the event of a medical emergency onboard?
Yes,  I have experienced passengers suffering from a variety of medical conditions ranging from falling during embarking / disembarking to  heart attacks. Depending on the severity, these incidents are reported immediately to our Ops Room / 24 hour tracking who take control and lead us through the situation.
  • What would you wish for passengers to be aware of that they might not know when climbing on your bus?
As with any form of transport – that safety belts should be used.  It is also better not to walk around unnecessarily during transit in a moving vehicle, as you never know what lies ahead in the road.
  • Is the location of the bus continuously monitored from head-office and are there a need to update passengers and bus stops with estimated times of arrival?
Yes, at all times.
  • What can a bus driver do to make the experience enjoyable and comfortable for passengers?
Be friendly, be helpful, assist where possible, go the extra mile and be informative.
  • Do drivers meet with one another or with management to share experiences, do scenario planning and improve on services rendered?
Yes,  we also have an incident report system.  Even minor incidents are reported and discussed.
Also view:
Guide to Bus Passenger Safety

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