Whether you drive a charter bus, shuttle bus, school bus, tour bus or city bus, you know that the lives of your passengers are in your hands every day, and we want to help keep everyone safe, including you. We’ve rounded up some of the best driving tips and pre-trip inspection checklists on the web for you to browse through.
We’ll start off with some inspiration from the NYC bus driver who never had an accident in 23 years of driving. Driver Michael Sanua says, “The most important thing isn’t to win a beef with another driver, criticize someone who doesn’t drive well, or get where you’re going at the speed of light. The most important thing is to be conscious of driving at all times, and get where you’re going safely. It may sound boring, but that’s the secret, if there is one.” Read more of his story and his 5 driving tips here:
How NYC’s Best Bus Driver Stayed Crash Free for 23 Years
The US Department of Transportation reminds bus drivers to take care of themselves first. Get enough sleep, eat well and stay fit to be at your peak performance behind the wheel. Read more here:
Safe Tips for Truck and Bus Drivers
The Bus and Coach Smart Move Campaign offers a series of illustrated printouts to help drivers maintain their vehicles, drive safely in tunnels, and look at the whole system- from the driver’s personal well being, to the passengers behavior, to the bus itself- to ensure that everything is functioning well.
Safe Driving in Road Tunnels for Professionals
The West Carroll Parish School Board shared the School Bus Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist they use. This checklist is printable, and has space for the driver to mark off each task as it is completed. This checklist could easily be modified or used as-is for any type of bus. You can view it here:
School Bus Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
This Walk Around Checklist from the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland is also printable and provides space for the driver to mark off each item as they check its condition. View it here:
Bus/PSV Driver Walk Around Check Sheet
We hope this bus driving safety roundup was useful to you, and we’d love to hear from you! Please share with us how you stay safe on the road.