Billy says: "However,as this thread shows,the Busdriver is very clearly in a lose-lose situation,damned if he does,damned if he does`nt. "

My bottom line is "self-preservation", I never, EVER do the hard shoulder trick in any vehicle. It is a dangerous and "non-beneficial-to-self" thing to do, especially when on the road with everyone and anyone - some of whom probably bought, bribed or even stole their licence.

The same can be said for bus stops, both signposted drop/pick-up stops, and even request stops. If it is not safe, whether it is a legitimate stop or not, then safety must take precedence and if its not safe, then you can stop reasonably close to where the person is, or pass by to the next available location. If it's nowhere near where the person is, I'm sorry but they have to position themselves in a safe location, and if it's 5 miles away, then it's 5 miles away.

And as for the usual stuck-in-traffic favourite "can you let me out here, 'bud?", that never happens with me. Safety ALWAYS takes precedence. If something happens, the 1st question to be asked is "why did you let them out at an unrecognised (and illegal) stop?"

The passenger might think you're an a$$hole for not letting them out, but in actual fact, you're keeping them safe, and it safeguards your licence and job. It may not be convenient for them, but it's SAFETY that matters.

As has been said, ANYTHING can come out of a side road, hedge, even a ditch! And as GSI340 says, what do you do when you're hemmed in by 2 artics, or as Billy563 says some plank in a car inspecting the rivetwork! You cant stop the bus in time, and you've put yourself in that position, so naturally, the blame lies with the person driving on the hard shoulder

Thankfully, most HGV/bus drivers & most motorcyclists out there 'look out for eachother' and as such a driver, the difference between a HGV/bus driver, a motorcyclist, and a car driver is amazing. The first three usually take great care on the road, whereas 90% of the car drivers drive too fast, too irresponsibly, and are a danger to themselves and others

If someone overtakes me and hits something, THEY are at fault. If they cant get by me, TOUGH. If I'm driving on my limiter, then thats THEIR problem to get by me. Likewise, If I haven't got the power in a bus of HGV to get past something in my way, I don't do it!. Dont like it? Then get off the road. However with is in mind, there is no excuse fo a car driving along somewhere like the N2 at 60-70km/h, that kind of slow driving on any major road is unwarranted, and will most likely cause an accident by impatient drivers "losing the head" and overtaking where they really shouldn't

Unfortunately one must take the ignorant and "selfish" attitude in situations such as this. In an ideal world everyone will have the cop-on to think like most holders of a D licence, but unfortunately with so many tunnel-visioned, nervous, and uneducated drivers out there, you have to mind yourself - and to hell with everyone else!


An empty bus is a happy bus!
Edited 2 times by KC48 06/01/2009 15:53:20.