011 - Dos and don'ts around buses

A list of things to watch out for, as a passenger, pedestrian, or driver, around buses.

Hard to believe it’s only been three and a half months since I started my new career as a bus driver. There have been no further incidents (touch wood and fingers crossed) since the tail-swing incident described in Episode 10. But there have been quite a few reckonings that I wanted to share with you.

Some of these reckonings are frustrations. Some of these reckonings come to life out of concern for passenger and pedestrian safety. And some of these reckonings are aimed at many of the folk who share the narrow Wellington roads in their cars and SUVs as we, the fraternity of bus drivers. It’s not an exhaustive link, and I’m sure the bus drivers who read this column will have their own views and reckonings—I’m keen to hear them.

A quick lesson in physics. Buses are around 14.0m long. They don’t bend. So, manoeuvering machinery of that length requires a lot of space, in both length and width. It’s not uncommon for a bus to use both sides of the road. For example, to pull out of a bus stop the driver will usually need to move into the oncoming lane to give enough space to turn the bus back into their lane. There are no compromises here. It is what it is, and if other drivers and road users appreciate this, and give way allowing the bus to do its business, traffic will flow smoothly.

Driving a bus with a rear steering axle provides greater maneuverability, but it increases the chance of a serious tail-swing incident. If no rear steering axle is fitted, there’s less maneuverability, but more space is required to navigate the bus along narrow streets.

Here goes (in no particuar order):

Parking your car near buses

1. Don’t park near the front of a bus stop. You risk getting the rear driver’s side hit as a bus pulls out of the stop, particularly if there is limited room for the bus, or if the park is on or near a corner.

   

2. Don’t park at the rear of a bus stop. You risk getting the front driver’s side clipped as a bus enters the bus stop, especially if the bus driver is inexperienced, or hasn’t yet mastered the intricacies of tail-swing.

3. Don’t park on the apex of a left-turning corner. The bus will either come perilously close to clipping the right-hand front of the parked car or, need to take up a lot of the opposite lane to get around the parked car.

   

4. Don’t park opposite another car on a narrow road. Colway Street in Ngaio is a case in point. On one particular morning, I saw a gentleman park his car as I approached from further up the street. The gap for my bus was so small I asked him to put his wing mirror in. He did so. I carefully proceeded forward, and then realised, because my bus doesn’t bend, that he would need to move his car as there wasn’t enough space to get through. I reversed several metres to give him room to get into the driver’s door, and he moved his car back three metres to a perfectly good parking spot that allowed the bus to pass.

   

5. Park your car as close to the curb as possible, and put your wing mirrors in. You’ll be amazed at how much difference 30cm can make. It’s going to definitely have a factor on whether your car is clipped, or not. Especially on narrow two-lane roads, like Tinakori Road—cars parked on both sides, with oncoming traffic.

   

General car etiquette around buses

1. Give way to buses that are exiting bus stops. There used to be a sign on the back of the bus that said: “Please, let the bus go first”. Those signs are gone, and I don’t know why. When you don’t give way and let the bus pull out into the traffic flow, the downstream consequences are huge, causing many minuscule delays, which when added together create log jams.

   

   Please remember to do this.

2. Give way to buses on narrow roads. Let’s face it, every road in Wellington is narrow. Buses have great difficulty reversing or maneuvering in tight spaces. As drivers, we are taught to look ahead to make sure the way is clear. If we come head-to-head with a car on a narrow road, it’s likely that the car will need to find a way out of the situation. This might involve reversing, or if it’s safe to do so, driving up onto the footpath. You might think that because you are driving up a hill everyone should give way to you (“Give way to uphill traffic”). If the bus can, we’ll just stop and wait for the car to find a way around, but sometimes giving way to uphill traffic is a very difficult thing for us to do. So if you see a bus coming down the hill towards you, it’s best to anticipate this and find a safe place to pull over and let the bus pass.

3. Don’t park at bus stops, ever. Uber drivers are notoriously bad for this, but there are lots of other drivers who think it’s OK to drop off or pick up passengers from bus stops, and this is even when they can see a bus coming along the street behind them. If I can’t pull into a stop to drop off passengers because there’s a car parked there, I’ll need to stop in the flow of traffic and hold up other drivers. This is dangerous for passengers getting off my bus, but it also causes a domino effect further down the line, causing traffic jams and snarl-ups.

4. Stop behind the green space (reserved for cyclists) at intersections. If a bus is swinging around a corner, it needs as much space as it can get. If you stop over the green zone, there’s a risk you’ll have to reverse or steer out of the way to give room to the bus, or the front of your car will get clipped.

   

5. Don’t sneak down the inside of the lane when you see a bus attempting to turn right. The tail of the bus might swing towards you and crush your driver-side doors. Stay behind the bus until it’s completed the turn.

   

General pedestrian and passenger etiquette around buses

1. Don’t stand close to a corner where a bus is turning around. Especially if it’s a tight turn. The front wheels of a bus are a long way behind the front of the bus. This is helpful for the bus because it means we can hang over the pavement without touching the curb in order to get around the corner. Bad news for pedestrians though, as the bus will encroach into their space.

   

2. While waiting for a bus, stand and wait at the front of the bus stop. This is especially true when you’re waiting at a stop that can accommodate multiple buses. If I’m driving the first bus to the stop I’ll always stop at the front of the space to leave room for other buses coming onto the stop. It’s easier for you to walk back to a bus than to come up from behind. It’s harder for me to see if you want my bus if you are coming from the rear of the bus.

3. Check your Snapper or AT card has enough money on it before trying to pay your fare. The number of people who hop on the bus not knowing that they don’t have enough money astounds me. There’s a good reason the cards tell you to top them up when they are low. It’s generally because very soon you’re not going to be able to pay your fare. I’ll always let you top up your card with your phone and tag on a bit further down the line.

4. If you’re waiting for a bus have your Snapper card in your hand ready to tag on. Many times I see people waiting at a stop. They see the bus coming. They hop on the bus. They spend the next 40 seconds fossicking in their bag looking for their card, holding up other passengers, and holding up the bus. It’s not difficult. Do it before you get on the bus!

5. Once on the bus, have your Snapper/AT card in your hand before you get to your stop. The same passengers who don’t have their card ready when getting onto the bus invariably put their card away, in some random pocket, or in the bottom of a bag. The stop arrives. They get up to leave the bus and spend another 40 seconds looking for their card again. Just keep it close, OK?

6. Pay attention and indicate whether you’d like the bus to stop (or not)! If you’re waiting for a bus, pay attention to its arrival. Don’t bury your head in your phone (unless you are looking at a transport app). If you see your bus coming, make a concerted effort to indicate to the driver that you’d like us to stop and pick you up. If you don’t want the bus, then shake your head at the driver so there’s no second guessing. I don’t like having to make a hard stop to collect a passenger who has been too lazy, or too embarrassed to let me know they’d like to get on my bus. If I have to make a hard stop, it endangers the vehicles behind me, it disrupts the passengers already on the bus, and it causes traffic delays as it’s likely I’ve had to stop in the middle of the road to let you on.

7. Hop on the bus as soon as it arrives. I’ve had instances where I pull up at the bus stop, open the doors to let a passenger on, and that passenger continues to have a conversation with their friend on the footpath before hugging, saying goodbye, and then hopping on. Like, have I got time for this? No, I don’t.

8. If you don’t have a Snapper or AT card, then don’t give me anything bigger than a $10 note. There’s a ruse where people will knowingly hop on the bus and try to pay for a one-zone trip with a $20 note. There’s no way I’m going to give you all my change to complete that transaction. Oftentimes, if I’m in a good mood, I’ll just wave you on. But, beware. Bus drivers have good memories and I won’t let you pull that trick a second time.

Remember to say “Hello” when you get on the bus, and “Thanks, driver!” when you get off. These greetings and salutations aren’t mandatory, but they’ll make you feel better (truly) and they’ll brighten my day.

Tomorrow is the 30 August 2023, and in Wellington, there’s a stop-work meeting to discuss the progress on our Fair Pay Agreement. While the general public might think we are being paid the touted $30 an hour, this hasn’t come into play yet. We’re hoping it’ll be in place from 1 September, backdated to 1 April. Fingers crossed 🤞. Apologies for any disruption caused to your commute or travel plans, but this is super important.

Big hello to all the friends and acquaintances that I gave a ride to over the last month. It was great to share my love of this job and to transport you safely to your destination. Hugs from the Bus!!!