Bus driver
A bus driver, bus operator, or bus captain is a person who drives buses for a living.
Description
Bus drivers must have a special license above and beyond a regular driver's license. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. Bus drivers often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach driver, is used for drivers on privately booked long-distance routes, tours, and school trips.There are various types of bus drivers, including transit drivers, school bus drivers, intercity bus drivers, and tour bus drivers. Bus drivers may work for a city, public governments, school systems, and/or private enterprises, such as charter companies that run tour buses or arrange travel between cities for private groups. Bus drivers in Australia are frequently freelance sub-contractors who work for various bus and coach companies.
When there is no conductor present, the driver is the sole operator and handles ticketing and interaction with customers, in addition to driving.
Training
Requirements vary by country, but in general bus drivers are required to undergo more training than individuals driving a passenger automobile. For example, in the United States, all bus drivers are required to hold a Commercial Driver's License with P endorsement. Safe driving skills and the willingness to obey traffic laws and handle driving under a variety of weather and traffic conditions are essential, as passengers expect a safe trip, and the safety of those in other vehicles on the road is necessary.New hires by companies are often oriented to their jobs by first riding along for one or more runs on a route, then driving the route under supervision of an experienced driver, or driving the route unsupervised without any passengers. After passing the training, most new hires will only work as backups until a permanent position can be offered.
Intercity bus driver
An intercity bus driver is a bus driver whose duties involve driving a bus between cities. It is one of four common positions available to those capable of driving buses. Those hired as intercity bus are often expected to have prior experience in the operation of a commercial vehicle. This may include the operation of a municipal bus service, school buses, or trucks. Intercity bus drivers may be employed for public or private companies. It varies by country which is more common. But many countries have regulations on the training and certification requirements and the hours of intercity drivers.Duties
Besides the actual operation of the bus, duties of the intercity bus driver include cleaning, inspecting, and maintaining the vehicle, doing simple repairs, checking tickets of passengers or in some cases, collecting fares, loading passengers on and off the bus efficiently, handling the passengers' luggage, enforcing guidelines expected from passengers, and dealing with certain types of emergencies.Good communication skills in the native language of the country and other languages spoken by a large part of the population are also key. Drivers must be able to engage in basic communication with passengers and to give them directions and other information they may need.
Some countries require intercity bus drivers to fill out logs detailing the hours they have driven. This documents they are compliant with the country's laws regarding the maximum number of hours they are permitted to drive.
Scheduling
Intercity bus drivers are provided with a lot of independence, though they are expected to follow a particular route and schedule as determined by their employer.On shorter routes, it is possible for a driver to make a round trip and return home on the same day, and sometimes to complete a round trip multiple times in a single day.
On longer routes that exceed or come close to the maximum number of hours an operator can legally drive, drivers will be changed over the course of the route. Either the driver will drive half the work day in one direction, and switch places before driving part of a trip in the other direction on a different vehicle, or the driver will drive the maximum amount of time permitted by law in a single direction, stay overnight, and complete a return trip on the following day. When the latter occurs, the employer will often pay lodging and dining expenses for the driver.
An issue with intercity bus drivers, especially those on longer routes, is taking short breaks for eating and restroom use. Stopping to meet these human needs is a necessity. But making these stops delays the trip, which many passengers want to be as quick and efficient as possible. Often, the driver will pass these breaks onto the passengers and allow them to enjoy the benefits of the break as well.
Occupational safety
Intercity bus driving is generally safe but carries its risks for drivers. Accidents occur, which can be harmful to the driver, passengers, and those in other vehicles involved alike. Dealing with unruly passengers can be another challenge, something which operators are not generally equipped to handle. Such passengers can be harmful to the driver and other passengers alike.There have also been incidents which have occurred involving intercity bus drivers being assaulted by passengers. One such event occurred on October 3, 2001, when Damir Igric slit a Greyhound driver's throat, resulting in seven deaths as the bus crashed.
Ergonomics
Bus drivers work long hours with minimal breaks, and their daily tasks are often repetitive and done independently. These are often physically labor intensive, requiring the ability to sit for the entirety of a shift of up to 8 hours or more. Working conditions like these can be physical hazards and calls for proper ergonomic conditions. Bus drivers are at increased risk for musculoskeletal disorders and this is often due to poor ergonomics such as limited moving space within the driver's cabin. Symptoms of pain and aching in areas such as the neck, lower back, shoulders, and knees are common. In one study, lower back pain was attributed to exposures to full-body vibrations during driving and difficulty maintaining optimal posture.Musculoskeletal disorders can also be aggravated by psychosocial aspects of the profession. Work fulfillment can be impacted by high work demands and minimal management support, in addition to reliance on mechanical machinery which may fail causing stress regarding route schedules. In another study, it's shown that musculoskeletal disorders decline greatly when these psychosocial hazards are addressed. The risks of lower back pain can also be exacerbated by sedentary aspects of the profession. This places strong emphasis on workplaces to limit excess working time and to encourage bus drivers to maintain physical activities outside of work hours in order to prevent the onset of musculoskeletal disorders.
Airborne illnesses
Airborne illnesses such as COVID-19 and the flu are occupational hazards bus drivers face due to limited social distancing on public buses and the essential nature of the job. Bus drivers spend their working hours inside buses with limited ventilation and significant crowding, creating an environment in which airborne illnesses spread. Bus drivers have a significantly higher exposure time than passengers taking the bus, increasing their risk of contracting an airborne illness. In addition to factors such as elevated BMI and older age, the working environment of bus drivers puts them at a higher risk of COVID-19, presenting an occupational hazard.In terms of the flu, bus/tram drivers are also vulnerable to contracting influenza. Public-facing occupations heighten the odds of contracting influenza due to limited social distancing, resulting in contact with people who are infected. The lack of social distancing, a factor that is oftentimes unavoidable on a bus, means the odds of influenza for bus drivers is elevated.
Various strategies have been implemented to decrease the spread of airborne illnesses to bus drivers given their susceptibility. These include improving ventilation on buses and making personal protective equipment readily available on the job.
Emotional stress
Mental health and well-being play a huge role in drivers' abilities to properly operate buses, therefore putting themselves and passengers at risk when under emotional stress. According to a systematic review in Mental Health and Prevention published in 2024, many drivers report a lack of recognition in money, esteem, or status for their work efforts. This can directly increase the likelihood of stress and could partly be attributed to the fact that bus drivers are compensated based on distance driven rather than the number of passengers. This incentivizes working long hours which can contribute to mental fatigue due to being mentally vigilant throughout the entire work day. Additionally, driver-passenger conflict correlates with psychological distress which can be mediated by the effects of emotional exhaustion and cynicism. This behavior can include disagreements, physical contact, and fare evasion. Complex driving environments can additionally contribute to stress due to traffic congestion and time constraints have been shown to directly increase adrenaline and cortisol levels in the urine of bus drivers. Early or late working hours can also decrease the quality and amount of sleep for drivers. This has been shown to increase stress levels which in turn also decreases sleep quality, creating a cycle.Stress at work can additionally feed into job burnout, which is associated with alcohol abuse, depression, and sleep disorders. Additionally, emotional exhaustion has been shown to increase pro-inflammatory mediators which can interact with the development of depression or anxiety. According to the CDC, anxiety and chronic stress can be risk factors for heart disease.