CPC Bus — Case Study Theory Exam.

Before setting off on his day's work, John quickly checked the lights, tyres (including tyre pressures), wipers, and his emergency engine stop. At his first stop he recognised a passenger boarding the bus whom he suspected might be hearing impaired. The previous day she had asked how much the fare would be, John answered, "€4.10", while looking at someone at the back of the bus. The passenger then handed him €10.00 and took a seat without asking for change. At the time John wondered if she had heard him. This time, when she asked for the fare, he looked her in the eye and said, "€4.10". She smiled and gave him exactly €4.10.

As John pulled into the next stop, he noticed a passenger in a wheelchair and a woman with children. He pulled the bus close to the kerb, stopped, switched off the engine, and left the bus in first gear for safety. He lowered the bus using the kneeling facility and also lowered the ramp. The woman and children boarded the bus and sat in the priority seating. John helped the passenger in the wheelchair to the docking area where there were some other passengers already standing; he then lifted one wheel over some debris left by the passengers and applied the wheelchair brake. He then drove off smoothly.

The next stop was at the new supermarket which John presumed would have more passengers than any of his other stops. The bus was nearly three-quarters full with 35 passengers. John quickly calculated how many more passengers with heavy packages he could take. When he arrived at the supermarket he was relieved to find fewer passengers than he had anticipated. However, the bus was near to its full capacity, a fact proven by the effort needed to move the bus off. John pulled away, shifting gears quickly to keep the revs in the green band on the rev counter.

His bus was an older model, but the company had an excellent maintenance schedule. John usually carried out some checks of his own such as regularly checking tyre pressures, lights, and the emergency engine stop.

After John moved off, he travelled along the road in the opposite direction to the rest of the traffic. However, he approached a right-hand corner too quickly and the passengers were thrown about in their seats. The bus had seatbelts fitted but not all the passengers wore them (the bus was not designed to carry standing passengers). John now realised that he hadn't taken a break all day.

Before the next stage of the route, there was a steep descent ahead. Road works had been going on at the foot of the hill for over a month. As the bus was descending the hill, John took his foot off the accelerator and started to brake gently.

He then drove along the carriageway at 120 km/h and was stopped by a Garda who asked to see John's documents. The Garda also asked John for his tachograph records. After inspection of the bus the Garda told John that his front near-side tyre was defective. This delayed John and his passengers, forcing him to wait at the roadside to have his tyre replaced. During the conversation, the Garda also asked, "Did you check the bus before using it today?" John admitted that he had not completed a daily walk around check as he was in a hurry and forgot.

The Garda then called a vehicle inspector who identified more items that John would have found if he had conducted his daily walk-around check. The vehicle inspector also asked about the vehicle maintenance records and the fault reporting procedures that are in place at John's company. The bus was detained until the defects had been fixed. This was embarrassing and expensive for John and the company. John will now be prosecuted for negligence.

Alan had a full load of 70 passengers on board as he started out. His route was along the N-2 dual carriageway. While signalling left and slowing to make a tight left turn into St. Margaret's Road, which leads to the N-2, Alan noticed a cyclist in his left mirror. The cyclist was beginning to move up the left side (nearside) of the bus. Alan continued to watch his left mirror. He muttered to himself, recalling how the previous day he had encountered a cyclist wearing reflective clothing, riding on the left in a contra-flow bus lane. Alan noticed the cyclist glancing over his right shoulder. He often went out of his way to double-check his mirrors and give them lots of room. Alan heard a horn blow and a skid from a motorcycle approaching on his right side. The motorcyclist was warning Alan that the rear overhang of the bus had swung into the motorcycle's path.

Alan was agitated because of these events and, once around the corner, he tried to make up some time. He approached the next right hand corner a little fast, braking on the corner. He had to steer hard to avoid colliding with the kerb. Alan checked his mirror to make sure the passengers on the lower deck had recovered from the sharp turn. He failed, however, to check the passengers on the upper deck.

Once on the carriageway the drive went smoothly until the left front of the bus began to shake wildly and the steering wheel to vibrate. Before Alan could think the words "blow-out" his tyre burst. Taking a firm hold of the steering wheel, he carefully crossed two lanes of traffic to bring the bus to a stop on the hard shoulder. Alan brought the bus to a gentle stop. When the bus was completely stopped, Alan put on his high-visibility vest and told the passengers to please remain seated while he got off to check the situation. "Blown tyre for sure", he said while kicking what was left of the rubber. Before getting back on the bus, Alan displayed his warning triangle and tried to stop traffic by waving his arms. When he was unable to stop traffic, he got on the bus and turned on his hazard warning lights.

"We've had a tyre blow-out", he explained to the passengers. "I'll contact my depot. In the meantime, please remain on the bus until another one arrives." No sooner had he contacted the depot than a passenger got up and moved toward the door. "Please, sir, you should remain on the bus. Another one will be here shortly", Alan said. "I'm just going out for a smoke, if you don't mind", the passenger sniped. "I'm afraid for safety reasons I'll have to ask you to stay on board, please. If you get off, others will want to do so as well and the traffic is moving at 100 km/h. Someone would surely get hurt", Alan replied. The passenger stared briefly at Alan, then said, "Alright, I understand what you mean now", before moving back to his seat.

With this incident resolved, Alan quickly checked the passengers, making a mental note of the number of passengers (including children) and those needing special help. He contacted the depot again and reported the total number of passengers, including one in a wheelchair. After what seemed an eternity, a replacement bus pulled up and Alan directed the passengers onto the replacement bus. In the interest of safety and to save time, he loaded all of the luggage onto the replacement bus. He could tell this would be a long day.

Michael has been a PSV driver for many years. He is always professional in his approach to work and conducts his daily walk around vehicle check of the vehicle (including plates) before taking charge of any vehicle. In his first job as a tour bus driver, Michael noticed that tourists carried a lot of luggage. He learned quickly how to stow and distribute luggage and pay attention to passenger limits. Fortunately, his employer was patient and took the time to explain things like stability, axle weights, the legal limits of each vehicle and the effects of overloading on tyre wear, braking power, and stopping distances.

Michael often travelled over and under bridges and on roads that had weight and height limits. He knew that the weight difference between an empty bus and a full bus could be as much as 7 tonnes. Michael calculated the gross vehicle weight of his bus using the unladen weight and number of passengers plus an allowance for fuel, and luggage.

When planning a route, Michael considered the size of the bus. He knew the legal maximum width, height and length of the buses and coaches he drove as well as the swept area of each bus. In recent years, Michael had observed the introduction of different types of bus lanes. He always liked to get an early start so that he would arrive on time and could use the bus lanes that normally operated between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. When the road was wet, Michael followed the 4-second rule, a point highlighted in TV road safety campaigns. He was particularly aware of this on motorways where vehicles were travelling at much higher speeds.

Michael's latest assignment involved driving a school bus for a private company for the school year. The bus had an emergency dry chemical fire extinguisher and a warning triangle but no other emergency equipment. It had proper internal lighting and was fully fitted with seatbelts. When necessary, Michael turned on the interior and exterior lights and he used the high intensity fog lights during low visibility.

Michael's bus was fitted with stability control and anti-lock braking (ABS) systems. One morning as he left, he noticed that his ABS light did not go out when the bus started or moved above 5 km/h. All the other lights on the systems warning panel worked normally.

It had begun to rain before Michael started work and it seemed the rain would continue for some time. He had planned his route. However, not far along the road there was a traffic hold-up and Gardaí directed traffic onto a diversion route unfamiliar to Michael. On the diversion route, Michael had to deal with low trees, adverse cambers, cables, electricity poles, and some overhead obstructions such as shop blinds hanging over the edge of the road. Michael noticed a road sign giving the gross vehicle weight allowed on this road. Fortunately, this was more than the gross weight of his bus. Eventually, he rejoined his planned route and saw that the cause of the obstruction was a double-deck bus stuck under a railway bridge which was identified by the flashing blue lights of the emergency service vehicles. Michael noticed in his interior mirror that a number of children on his bus were not wearing seatbelts and were standing in the aisle looking out the window.

As he waited for the hold-up to clear, Michael started to feel sleepy. He thought about his years as a PSV driver. During this time, he had seen the scale of private bus and coach services increase. He noticed that a lot of European coach operators were using tri-axle coaches. European Union regulations now governed international transport and the introduction of the Euro had done away with currency exchange rate fluctuations. To qualify for international work, Michael would need a European Community licence and a bail bond. His employer would have to comply with international road transport rules. Finally, the double-deck bus was cleared from the railway bridge and Michael could continue his journey. He looked forward to his next assignment as an international driver.

Sean began his route on a foggy, drizzly morning. He had not got much sleep the night before so he started his shift with a cup of coffee to stay awake and alert. He was in a hurry to start his shift so he rushed through the walk-around check of his vehicle (which was designed to carry standing passengers). He checked the mirrors, glass, brakes, wipers, heating ventilation, gearshift linkage, lights and indicators, tyres, engine oil level, reflectors, doors, and exit. Before starting the engine, Sean also carried out the following checks as part of his cockpit drill: mirrors, handbrake, gears, doors, and seatbelt. He did not think he had forgotten anything.

The figure below shows the items checked by Sean as part of his daily walk-around check and cockpit drill:

Sean's Walk-around Checks: Mirrors, Glass, Brakes, Wipers, Heating ventilation, Gearshift linkage, Lights and indicators, Tyres, Engine oil level, Reflectors, Doors and exits  |  Sean's Cockpit Drill: Mirrors, Handbrake, Gears, Doors, Seatbelt

As he drove, several oncoming cars repeatedly flashed their headlights at the bus. Suddenly, realising his lights were not on, Sean turned them on full beam. There seemed to be more passengers at the stops this morning and, because of this, Sean worried about a possible time delay due to passengers boarding.

At the next stop, Sean saw a passenger in a wheelchair with a large suitcase propped against the chair. He realised there would be a further delay due to picking up this passenger. Sean pulled up close to the kerb and helped the passenger onto the bus. When he bent over to pick up the suitcase, a sharp pain spread across his back. Unable to fully lift the suitcase, he slid it under the seat closest to the door.

Sean then asked the people who were crowded into the designated wheelchair space to move. An older gentleman with a cane refused to move, tapping his leg with his cane as reason to remain. Sean explained that the space was for wheelchairs and was not a designated handicap zone. He asked a group of seated passengers if one of them would please give up his or her seat for the gentleman with the cane. A young man smiled and obliged.

While Sean began fastening the straps that secure the wheelchair frame to the bus, the wheelchair passenger set the wheelchair brakes and also secured one of the straps. Sean double-checked the brakes and the strap the passenger had fastened. As Sean drove away, the young man who had given up his seat stumbled because he had not reached a new seat.

As the day progressed, the fog finally lifted. After Sean entered the motorway, he increased his speed to 70 km/h. His route took him from the motorway to a smaller road through a semi-industrial area. There were now more passengers than seats. Some of the standing passengers had become uncomfortable because the journey had slowed and there were fewer stops. As the bus travelled on, an articulated lorry sped around the bus, obviously too fast for the road. The lorry then turned left at a blind corner. Sean's route took the bus around the same blind turn. Once around the corner, Sean saw that the trailer had hit the bottom of a railroad bridge. To avoid delay, Sean quickly turned left onto an adjacent street, causing some standing passengers to fall into each other. Several passengers pointed out that this street was not on the route but Sean replied that he would still make their stops as he knew how to quickly get back onto the route. He decided to report the articulated lorry accident when he got back to the station as he was already running late.

One of the passengers became irate and demanded to get off the bus. Sean looked for a safe place to pull in. He saw yellow lines but there were no "No Parking" signs along the street so he pulled in and stopped. After the passenger got off, Sean turned off the engine and got out of the bus to do a quick inspection of the bus's exterior. Everything looked fine so he continued the journey.

Ciara drove a fully seated coach (with no standing capacity) between major cities. This was a kneeling-type coach, equipped with a hydraulic system which allowed the step level to be raised and lowered, deploying a wheelchair ramp allowing access for mobility impaired passengers. Ciara was familiar with the system, its safe operation and secure storage of the equipment.

The picture below shows a ramp:

The picture below shows a lift:

Several elderly and special needs passengers depended on the coach service for mobility. If asked, Ciara helped these passengers on and off the bus. One passenger who was visually and hearing impaired often took the coach to visit friends in another city. This passenger needed help in finding an available seat. Ciara generally used the kneeling facility for passengers with limited mobility without being asked.

The picture below shows the type of cane that visually impaired people sometimes use as a mobility aid. The red band indicates that the person also has a hearing impairment:

When Ciara picked up her visually and hearing impaired passenger this morning, she was running late. As soon as the passenger boarded the bus Ciara closed the doors and moved off promptly to make up for the time lost.

Today was more eventful than most. At the beginning of the trip, Ciara discovered that there was an extra passenger on the bus. After a quick check, she found the unauthorised passenger and he got off the bus without incident.

During a brief comfort break (a toilet break), Ciara noticed someone in a hooded jacket open the luggage compartment of the bus and dig through the luggage. Luckily, a Garda was nearby. Ciara called the Garda over and she and the Garda approached the suspicious person who quickly turned around, obviously startled. He explained that he was a student looking for his book bag. Ciara quickly unloaded the luggage, stacking it in a pile to her side, until the book bag was visible. The Garda began to bring the student and his bag inside the building for questioning but Ciara indicated that it was probably an innocent mistake. She had seen the student's ID and had spoken briefly with him during the trip. The Garda insisted upon questioning the passenger.

When loading the luggage into the under-floor luggage lockers, Ciara placed the larger, heavier luggage in first for optimum weight distribution and load stability. She remembered the unattended bag she had found on another trip earlier in the week. During a stop, she had brought this bag into the station and when no one claimed it, she left it with the ticketing agent.

Once back on the motorway, Ciara noticed that she was travelling at 90 km/h and changed her speed to match the speed limit. Since the luggage and passenger load were lighter than normal, she could tell the difference in the bus handling and found it to be more responsive than usual, especially when she was slowing or accelerating. On occasion, cross winds on exposed areas of the motorway rocked the coach.

When leaving the motorway slip road, which turned sharply to the left on approach to the roundabout, luggage fell from the overhead luggage compartments. The previous week, when Ciara was driving a full bus around a sharp corner, some of the bags fell from the overhead compartment and several passengers made a formal complaint about this incident.

Ashling was not familiar with the bus she was driving. She wondered how to find the information she needed about the dimensions, weights, seating capacity, maximum speed, and overhangs of the bus. She expected to have a full bus and so it would be particularly important to know the gross vehicle weight. Ashling was not sure how to calculate the gross vehicle weight. She had already checked the bus before she started her journey, checking the contents of the first aid kit and its location, the gauge on the fire extinguisher, the emergency hammers, and that the emergency exits were unlocked.

Ashling began her morning route thinking about the safety and comfort of the passengers. Her route contained several hills and she usually had a full bus.

Ashling had difficulty driving safely while keeping to her schedule. On downhill slopes, she tended to have trouble with braking. Sometimes the brakes overheated as Ashling was not familiar with the use of the hand-operated retarder. As a result, she overused the foot brake. In addition, she failed to correctly use the "holding gears" (1, 2, 3 and so on) in the automatic gearbox fitted to her bus. She also took the corners too fast, causing passengers to complain.

The diagrams below show how forces in a moving vehicle affect passengers:

1 = Acceleration (pushed back)  |  2 = Seated/stable  |  3 = Braking (thrown forward)  |  4 = Cornering — rear view (thrown sideways)

While turning left into a side road, Ashling correctly adopted a wider position further out in her lane.

Driving along the new road, just past an arch bridge with a height restriction sign, Ashling saw an older woman with a large piece of luggage. She stopped the bus for the passenger to board with her luggage. Ashling signalled and quickly moved off while the passenger was finding a seat. She heard a horn sound as she pulled away and noticed a motorcycle overtaking her. Ashling did not notice that the woman's luggage was not stored safely. She was forced to brake hard, throwing the luggage along the aisle and injuring a passenger. Ashling made a right-hand turn into Barrow Street, a street with bollards at the entrance.

As Ashling built up speed, one of the passengers told her that smoke was coming from the rear of the bus. Ashling stopped the bus and opened the front door, which she remembered her instructor saying was the primary emergency exit. She told the passengers to get off the bus and directed them to a safe place. She then called the fire brigade. In pushing toward the door, some of the passengers fell. When the last passenger got off the bus, Ashling checked to make sure that all passengers were indeed off. She grabbed the fire extinguisher (required on all buses) and ran outside to find the source of the smoke. She knew that the smoke source would have to be identified and corrected before the bus could continue its journey. She discovered that the smoke was coming from a tyre on the nearside rear axle.

The diagrams below show the bus's dimensions:

L = Length  |  H = Height  |  W = Width  |  FOH = Front Overhang  |  ROH = Rear Overhang  |  WB = Wheelbase