passenger safety on double deckers

harz99

nickj wrote: »

apart from the odd driver crashing thru a low bridge in a double decker

I'll give you that...................

But it's got nothing to do with standing passengers.

harz99

Flyboy152 wrote: »

If a child is entitled to transport to school, the local authority cannot simply withdraw a service. If they withdraw the bus service, they have to provide taxis.

The operative word is IF; we don't know enough about the full circumstances to say whether or not the individual concerned is entitled, as opposed to allowed, to use this bus service.

The_ICT_Engineer

nickj wrote: »

apart from the odd driver crashing thru a low bridge in a double decker

Don't remind me of that nightmare. I was on stenchcoach bus in the 1990's that did that. Driver took the wrong route,

mikey72

nickj wrote: »

my daughter has just started college in cambridge and catches aa double decker bus for the journey which takes about 1/2 an hour .
as we are the last pick up point the bus is usually full before the kids from my village have to get on . the kids have no option but to either stand , or sit on the floor or stairs .
this wouldn't be a problem if the journey was just around cambridge , the bus wouldn't be moving more than 30mph , but most of the final leg of the journey is on the m11 and a14,
i would have thought that this represents a breech of health and safety rules , am i wrong ?

Phone vosa

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/contactus/contactus.htm

they will tell you the correct requirements, and will pull the bus over and inspect it if you inform them the bus company is breaking the rules.

We had a similar problem that was sorted out via them.

harz99

mikey72 wrote: »

Phone vosa

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/contactus/contactus.htm

they will tell you the correct requirements, and will pull the bus over and inspect it if you inform them the bus company is breaking the rules.

We had a similar problem that was sorted out via them.

Bit premature; how do you know the bus company is breaking the rules?

Vosa can only speak on the legalities, they cannot offer a view on any contractual obligations or otherwise, and as to sitting on the floor or stairs that is not allowed under any circumstances but is definitely NOT something the bus driver should be policing whilst the bus is in motion - that WOULD be life threatening.

First ports of call could be Council/LEA/College, or even better seek the view of the bus company first!

mikey72

harz99 wrote: »

Bit premature; how do you know the bus company is breaking the rules?

Vosa can only speak on the legalities, they cannot offer a view on any contractual obligations or otherwise, and as to sitting on the floor or stairs that is not allowed under any circumstances but is definitely NOT something the bus driver should be policing whilst the bus is in motion - that WOULD be life threatening.

First ports of call could be Council/LEA/College, or even better seek the view of the bus company first!

I think you answered it for me.

harz99

mikey72 wrote: »

I think you answered it for me.

Not the bus company breaking the rules though is it?

It's the 16+ students who are old enough to know better.

At the risk of labouring the point - it is NOT the bus drivers job to police the behaviour of his passengers whilst in motion. In practical terms that means whatever action he/she may take at the bus stop before moving, he/she cannot prevent his passengers from doing what they want once on the move. Neither can VOSA or the Police, they can only react after the event.

Once on a dual carriageway or motorway, the bus driver cannot stop to deal with any problem internally; to do so might cause a serious accident, and could well cause he/she to end up in prison like the unfortunate lady driver of a coach who stopped on the A1 near RAF Wittering following a minor accident caused by a foreign lorry driver, whose coach was then run into by an HGV driver not paying attention to the road ahead, and was sentenced because she was held to have been partly at fault by stopping when she could have carried on.

silvercar

Gavin83 wrote: »

I don't actually know how this service works but it certainly isn't essential, my school or college didn't provide transport, even to those families with limited funds.

Is it a new thing that they must provide transport?

It is a very old thing that is being eroded.

There is legislation in place that requires local authorities to provide transport to school for pupils where the nearest suitable school is more than 3 miles (2 miles for under 8s) from their home. There are a whole host of regulations that go with this and many councils have over the years increased eligibility. Allowing parents some "choice" in education has meant that pupils often don't get places at the nearest school, increasing the need to travel and the legislation now requires that transport be provided more generously to the less well off, to ensure that this "choice" is not only available to those that can afford it.

silvercar

Flyboy152 wrote: »

They have an obligation to provide transport, not necessary sitting down. As long as the bus does not exceed its capacity, they are unlikely to provide any extra.

I would query whether the bus is exceeding capacity. Fine if the bus is operating within its licenced limit (though I'm not too comfortable with the idea of standing on a motorway journey). It is not unknown for a contractor to be paid for a 52 seater and only provide a 45 seater.

mikey72

harz99 wrote: »

Not the bus company breaking the rules though is it?

It's the 16+ students who are old enough to know better.

At the risk of labouring the point - it is NOT the bus drivers job to police the behaviour of his passengers whilst in motion. In practical terms that means whatever action he/she may take at the bus stop before moving, he/she cannot prevent his passengers from doing what they want once on the move. Neither can VOSA or the Police, they can only react after the event.

Once on a dual carriageway or motorway, the bus driver cannot stop to deal with any problem internally; to do so might cause a serious accident, and could well cause he/she to end up in prison like the unfortunate lady driver of a coach who stopped on the A1 near RAF Wittering following a minor accident caused by a foreign lorry driver, whose coach was then run into by an HGV driver not paying attention to the road ahead, and was sentenced because she was held to have been partly at fault by stopping when she could have carried on.

If VOSA agree the bus driver has absolutely no responsibilites for his passengers, I'm sure they'll say that to the op.
If they think he has any duty towards them, they'll act.
Won't hurt the op to ask them in that case.