Bus driver
Encyclopedia
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives bus
es profession
ally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus station
s or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English
a different term, coach
drivers, is used for drivers on long-distance routes and school trips. There are various types of bus drivers, including those who work for both public (state and federal
governments) and private enterprise, such as charter companies.
for a bus driver is to work for a public school, transporting students aboard a school bus
to and from the school building. As of 2004, 71% of bus drivers in the U.S. were employed by schools. In other countries, school transport is often provided by the same companies that run other bus services in the area, so school bus driver is not a separate position.
In the United States, finding a position as a bus driver usually requires that the individual possess a commercial driver's license
(CDL) and specialized training for the vehicle. Various other educational and vocational training may be required, however this varies from place to place. Bus drivers also need to possess social skills for interacting with their passengers, which is a daily occurrence.
Bus drivers who work for local government transportation agencies earn more than those who work for other types of employers.
drivers must have passed the Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) practical driving and theory test. People with more than three penalty points on their normal driving licence are not allowed to become bus drivers. People with certain medical conditions are excluded from becoming bus drivers. Some of these conditions include Migraine
(if it affects vision), Alcoholism
and Epilepsy
.
Traditionally, before the introduction of one-man buses on many city routes, the bus driver had no contact with the passengers, the tickets being sold by a bus conductor
. Now many buses are fitted with closed-circuit television
in an attempt to protect drivers from an increasing number of attacks which has resulted in a recruitment crisis in some British cities. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3147870.stm
Bus drivers often come to the role from previous careers. Of course some bus drivers go on to do other things, Matt Monro for instance, whilst actor Robert Carlyle learned to drive a bus and successfully passed the test for his role as a bus driver in the film "Carla's Song
".
in the United States was in 1955 when Montgomery, Alabama
bus driver James F. Blake
insisted that Rosa Parks
give up her seat for a white male, and she refused; this began a bus boycott
that ultimately ended segregation on public transport
ation in the United States of America.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
ally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
s or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
a different term, coach
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
drivers, is used for drivers on long-distance routes and school trips. There are various types of bus drivers, including those who work for both public (state and federal
Federal republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...
governments) and private enterprise, such as charter companies.
Bus drivers in the United States
One of the most common jobs in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for a bus driver is to work for a public school, transporting students aboard a school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
to and from the school building. As of 2004, 71% of bus drivers in the U.S. were employed by schools. In other countries, school transport is often provided by the same companies that run other bus services in the area, so school bus driver is not a separate position.
In the United States, finding a position as a bus driver usually requires that the individual possess a commercial driver's license
Commercial driver's license
A Commercial Driver's License is a driver's license required in the United States to operate any type of vehicle which has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 lb or more for commercial use, or transports quantities of hazardous materials that require warning placards under Department of...
(CDL) and specialized training for the vehicle. Various other educational and vocational training may be required, however this varies from place to place. Bus drivers also need to possess social skills for interacting with their passengers, which is a daily occurrence.
Bus drivers who work for local government transportation agencies earn more than those who work for other types of employers.
Bus drivers in the United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
drivers must have passed the Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) practical driving and theory test. People with more than three penalty points on their normal driving licence are not allowed to become bus drivers. People with certain medical conditions are excluded from becoming bus drivers. Some of these conditions include Migraine
Migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
(if it affects vision), Alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and Epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
.
Traditionally, before the introduction of one-man buses on many city routes, the bus driver had no contact with the passengers, the tickets being sold by a bus conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
. Now many buses are fitted with closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
in an attempt to protect drivers from an increasing number of attacks which has resulted in a recruitment crisis in some British cities. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3147870.stm
Bus drivers often come to the role from previous careers. Of course some bus drivers go on to do other things, Matt Monro for instance, whilst actor Robert Carlyle learned to drive a bus and successfully passed the test for his role as a bus driver in the film "Carla's Song
Carla's Song
Carla's Song is a British movie directed by Ken Loach with screenplay by Paul Laverty.Set in 1987, it tells the story of the relationship between a Scottish bus driver, George Lennox and Carla , a Nicaraguan woman living in exile in Glasgow...
".
Bus drivers in history
One famous incident involving a bus driver during the period of racial segregationRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
in the United States was in 1955 when Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
bus driver James F. Blake
James F. Blake
James F. Blake was the bus driver whom Rosa Parks defied in 1955, prompting the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Blake served in the Army in the European theatre during World War II. He worked as a bus driver for Montgomery City Bus Lines until 1974.One day in 1943, Parks boarded the bus and paid the fare...
insisted that Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
give up her seat for a white male, and she refused; this began a bus boycott
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. Many important figures in the civil rights movement were involved in the boycott,...
that ultimately ended segregation on public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
ation in the United States of America.
See also
- Intercity bus driverIntercity bus driverAn 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 . Intercity bus drivers may be employed for public or private companies. It varies by country which is more common...
- Bus conductor
- Ticket inspector
- John BoyarskiJohn BoyarskiJohn Barry Boyarski, MB is a retired Greater Vancouver British Columbia Canada Translink bus driver and recipient of three awards acknowledging bravery....
– Bus driver who received awards for bravery
External links
- Bus drivers at the United States Department of LaborUnited States Department of LaborThe United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
's website.