Boy, four, wanders streets after being abandoned on bus

[PeterC]

Our local routes operate in a series of loops through different villages so there is never a "terminus" for the driver to leave his/her seat and walk the length of the bus until a break is due.

 

[theblackwatch]

And, in the case I described, in taking responsibility for others?

(Mind you, it was a different world then.)

Yes, we all looked after each other...

 

[richw]

In my childs (age 6) school a 1 adult to 10 children ratio is set in school policy as a minimum within class.
How is it allowed for the duty of care to drop to a bus driver who isn’t a trained child minder who has a difficult enough safety critical role?
I assume a parent was waiting to collect at his stop, or is the infant walking home alone from the bus anyway? Was that the problem, no adult at the child’s stop coupled with another child saying he wasn’t aboard left the driver assume that to be the case.

 

[Gathursty]

Our local routes operate in a series of loops through different villages so there is never a "terminus" for the driver to leave his/her seat and walk the length of the bus until a break is due.

You are the only person to raise this. The most important aspect of the story.

Surely, at a bus stop, a bus driver can put hazards on, switch the engine off and quickly walk up and down the bus? Surely, the need for any 'terminus' is beside the point.

Please tell me that bus companies are not only telling bus drivers to do a check from the seat, relying on mirrors? I know time is money, but for goodness sake, not your drivers to have a thorough sweep of the vehicle is ridiculous.

 

[Typhoon]

You are the only person to raise this. The most important aspect of the story.

Surely, at a bus stop, a bus driver can put hazards on, switch the engine off and quickly walk up and down the bus? Surely, the need for any 'terminus' is beside the point.

Please tell me that bus companies are not only telling bus drivers to do a check from the seat, relying on mirrors? I know time is money, but for goodness sake, not your drivers to have a thorough sweep of the vehicle is ridiculous.

#3 made that point.

 

[Gathursty]

#3 made that point.

Thanks for the correction. I did miss that.

 

[Typhoon]

No problem.

 

[Deafdoggie]

You are the only person to raise this. The most important aspect of the story.

Surely, at a bus stop, a bus driver can put hazards on, switch the engine off and quickly walk up and down the bus? Surely, the need for any 'terminus' is beside the point.

Please tell me that bus companies are not only telling bus drivers to do a check from the seat, relying on mirrors? I know time is money, but for goodness sake, not your drivers to have a thorough sweep of the vehicle is ridiculous.

But if there is no terminus and the bus just loops round, and people can get on and off at any point on the loop, where do you check? And what do you check for? Anyone could have got on again to head round the loop.Are you suggesting the driver should note everyone at every stop and check after each stop the right people got off?

 

[Typhoon]

I think there is a difference between the types of operation.

The original case (#1) certainly appears to be a school bus/ run. Here the driver should give the bus a quick check over at convenient moments, not just for forgetful pupils but (in my experience at least) check the bus is in a reasonable state to proceed.

Where this is a stage carriage service, this is more difficult particularly if the bus passes more one school. If you add on the complication of city against rural working, the responsibility, in my view, must shift away from the driver to others (or no one).

On an interurban route of over an hour in length passing several schools worked by a double decker it would be unreasonable to expect the driver to have noticed that a particular primary pupil has gone past their stop.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The original case appears to be a school minibus run, more in line with a taxi than a public bus service. In rural areas your school transport usually is either a minibus or a taxi in exactly this way.

So yes, I would put my child in a taxi to go to school in this way.

When I was that age I went to school on a chartered coach. Mum was there to put me on the bus and collect me from it, but didn't sit holding my hand the whole way. My sister-in-law lived more rurally in Cumbria and her taxi dropped her off at the farmhouse door. But then in both cases it was the same driver and vehicle every day; mistakes only happened when they couldn't do the run, for whatever reason.