Driving while keep door open - is this illegal?

[Gostav]

Just last weekend, when I went shopping, there was a single decker bus that kept the front door open when driving which no passenger inside.
In my country some driver (particular minibus) still do it, most police didn't care that but some not. However, due to most new buses have air-conditioner and most bus such Karosa 900s have three outer swinging doors which mean you can't keep the front door open while driving.

 

[Pat1105]

Just last weekend, when I went shopping, there was a single decker bus that kept the front door open when driving which no passenger inside.
In my country some driver (particular minibus) still do it, most police didn't care that but some not. However, due to most new buses have air-conditioner and most bus such Karosa 900s have three outer swinging doors which mean you can't keep the front door open while driving.

You’re allowed to when no passengers are onboard if the vehicle type will allow for it, as some won’t move with the doors open.

 

[richw]

Our entire fleet here where I work this is impossible. Current fleet have either door interlock so brake won’t disengage with door open, or door closes automatically on disengagement of handbrake.

 

[PG]

I'd say it's not illegal per se, but should any passenger (or potential passenger) be injured then the driver (and possibly operator too) would expect to find themselves in some seriously hot water!

As other posters have mentioned most modern vehicles in the UK are now designed so that driving with the door open is not possible.

 

[M60lad]

I dont think its illegal myself been on many buses in the past where the driver has opted to leave the door open while in service, infact in summer months it was adviced for the the passengers to ring the bell before getting off so the driver had ample time to close the doors.

Infact due to the consistant hot weather we had last summer I know of the odd comapny where drivers even on E200s with the annoying warning beep that kept the doors open to keep some air circulating through the vehicles.

 

[gazthomas]

Not everything needs to be illegal to be enforceable, for example company policy. That said, there is nothing better than common sense

 

[Geordie driver]

I might be wrong but I don't think most buses in the UK have air-conditioning.

We once had a demonstrator for testing and it was fitted with air-conditioning. I asked my manager and the man in charge of maintenance if we bought this model, would we be getting air-conditioning. They burst into laughter.

Only a lunatic would drive with the doors open and passengers on board, you are basically putting yourself at real risk of a prison sentence, passenger behaviour is entirely unpredictable. I have had people try to exit my vehicle whilst in motion from both the proper doors and the emergency exits.

But on a hot day and empty I would happily drive round with the doors open, for the most part the police leave buses alone and it's not a specific offence.

 

[richw]

I might be wrong but I don't think most buses in the UK have air-conditioning.

First Kernow majority of fleet has driver cab air con (controllable by driver) and passenger saloon climate control (set temp not accessible by driver) now our tridents have gone.
we are an exception to the normal I believe with high spec buses. I know neither go ahead or stagecoach in the Southwest have it.

 

[Statto]

Not everything needs to be illegal to be enforceable, for example company policy. That said, there is nothing better than common sense

Not just company policy but could well be for insurance reasons too, plus most new buses are built so doors have to be closed before the bus moves off.

There was an incident about just over 15 years ago in my area, someone fell from a moving bus which had its doors open & received quite substantial head injuries that they ended up in ICU, i don't know what happened subsequently to the person.

 

[Tartanarmy85]

I don't know how many above are PCV drivers I drive both service and coach for last good 6 years except odd coach all buses won't move passenger door open and won't open again till brakes off guess original post won't from UK unless anyone had different experience me?

 

[richw]

I don't know how many above are PCV drivers I drive both service and coach for last good 6 years except odd coach all buses won't move passenger door open and won't open again till brakes off guess original post won't from UK unless anyone had different experience me?

I am. The last buses we had with no interlock was 2001-2 Tridents which were only recently withdrawn. Many operators are still running such vehicles.
Our 2004-7 Volvo Gemini’s the door shuts on moving off at about 5mph so can move slower with door open.
our newer ADL stuff the brakes cant be released if the door is open.

 

[Pat1105]

I don't know how many above are PCV drivers I drive both service and coach for last good 6 years except odd coach all buses won't move passenger door open and won't open again till brakes off guess original post won't from UK unless anyone had different experience me?

Certainly older Solo’s and older ADL/Dennis products will. Many of the independents round here who operate these older vehicles drive around with the doors open in the summer. I think you’re referring to the air system, where the doors and brakes won’t operate until there is enough pressure built up in the system. When there is enough air pressure, there’s nothing stopping the doors from being opened whilst moving on buses that don’t have a door interlock system.

 

[GusB]

I recall from my younger days buses running with doors open, although it wasn't a common occurrence. One thing that drivers did tend to do was open the doors at junctions for better visibility when the bus had four-leaf doors.

 

[Rick1984]

In Kilmarnock the drivers used to open the doors when pulling out the bus station to get a better view of the traffic from the left

 

[PG]

One thing that drivers did tend to do was open the doors at junctions for better visibility when the bus had four-leaf doors.

Modern buses do (in general) have better visibility not having four-leaf doors but I still miss being able to open the door at certain junctions. Aside from improving visibility it always seemed like other motorists were far more likely to allow the bus to pull out if they could actually see the driver directly.

 

[Jordan Adam]

I am. The last buses we had with no interlock was 2001-2 Tridents which were only recently withdrawn. Many operators are still running such vehicles.
Our 2004-7 Volvo Gemini’s the door shuts on moving off at about 5mph so can move slower with door open.
our newer ADL stuff the brakes cant be released if the door is open.

Our later B7LAs(05) and B7RLEs (06/07/57/08) are the same. I believe it was a standard system on all Volvo/Wright buses at the time.

Some of the ADL interlocks are a joke on First E300s after you press the close door button you have to wait around 7 seconds before you can release the handbrake and set off. Most of the Enviro500s in Aberdeen don't have interlocks interestingly, 38210 is the only one that has one.

It used to be quite common practice for drivers to drive with the doors open during summer to let more air through the bus, obviously interlocks and improved air circulation systems have meant this is no longer possible and on the whole not necessary unless you're in a Streelite .

 

[richw]

I’m interesting to notice Go Ahead cornwall brand new e200mmc don’t have any kind of door interlock or auto shut having seen several moving with the doors open.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Interesting question this - when the Wantage town services in Oxfordshire were operated by Whites Coaches (therefore Optare Solo's plus the occasional 07-reg grey Versa) the same driver 2 or 3 times I noticed had the door open when the bus was moving. I was on it with the door open once.

Long story short - when I found out in November 2018 (remembrance day) on the internet about an incident involving an ex-Hong Kong air-conditioned Leyland or Volvo Olympian taking children to school, it mentioned the driver having an unsuccessful attempt at letting the smoke out, rather than safely pulling over in a layby, by having the doors open on I believe the motorway - put it this way, the bus wasn't on fire.

As regards doors open, I read somewhere (probably on here) that one problem with I believe the Stagecoach South Wales Gold E200 MMC's was the doors have to be exactly closed without ever so slightly being open before they moved off - I think that's right.

 

[Geordie driver]

I don't know if it has changed in recent years, but a few years ago in Malta it was practically unknown to travel with the door shut! One driver had his young son sitting on the step as we hurtled round the island, and they didn't hang around.

 

[delt1c]

I don't know if it has changed in recent years, but a few years ago in Malta it was practically unknown to travel with the door shut! One driver had his young son sitting on the step as we hurtled round the island, and they didn't hang around.

Sorry but been in Malta nearly 10 years and never seen an Arriva or Malta Public Transport vehicle in service with the door open. Have seen many coaches ( empty without passengers) with door open but that is all. Likewise sightseeing buses operate here with door closed.
When I worked for LT it was specified in the rule book that no vehicle was to run with the door open.

 

[Geordie driver]

Sorry but been in Malta nearly 10 years and never seen an Arriva or Malta Public Transport vehicle in service with the door open. Have seen many coaches ( empty without passengers) with door open but that is all. Likewise sightseeing buses operate here with door closed.
When I worked for LT it was specified in the rule book that no vehicle was to run with the door open.

I knew a few of the people involved in Arriva's time in Malta, fortunately my experience was before this.

 

[delt1c]

I knew a few of the people involved in Arriva's time in Malta, fortunately my experience was before this.

Pre Arriva it was literally each driver did what they wanted when they wanted. When the bus came and where it was going was often a mystery here.

 

[Westcountryman]

Historically, in London until the 50s, it was a requirement for all Central buses to not be fitted with doors. It was supposedly to speed boarding. The Central RFs didn't have any when built, although Green Line and Country did, although they were fitted to red RFs when converted to OPO. When some of the 10T10s, which were originally built for Green Line services were downgraded to buses and painted red, the doors were still in place, but had to be permanently held open by a leather strap. On running days, you can still ride on buses without doors, examples being 15T13 T792, RF 395 and TD 95. The last two have run on the 227 at Bromley.