Wednesday 7 December 2005

Bus Driver's Hours

This subject is now closed.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi your trade union is 100% correct,if you take time to read CAREFULLY you will see that 5hrs 30mins IS the maximum allowed driving hours. if you drive over this without a break YOUR ARE BREAKING THE LAW AND PUTTING YOURSELF AND YOUR PASSENGERS AT RISK .please take the time to read VERY CAREFULLY ,if you dont understand the regulations then ask .your trade union is there to help you ,and to help you keep your job.

David said...

The Trade Unions I have belonged to, and I have belonged in my working career to 4 diferent Unions, have at some point let me down when it came to protecting MY job.
Read the bit in red again carefully as you suggest and you will see there are two different options, and the word OR is used. This means you can follow one rule OR the other depending on circumstances. I will admit the second rule is aimed more at coach drivers than bus drivers but bus drivers and coach drivers both have the same Licence.

Anonymous said...

It is all rather complicated. A further consideration is that this 8.5 hours encompasses driving time only, i.e. on top of this, sign-on, sign-off and cahsing-in proceedures are not covered.

An important factor not mentioned is the maximum daily driving time for Domestic Bus Drivers being 10 hours. If you undertake 7:45 over an 8:30 period, following which it is not the end of your shift (so a 0:30 break must be given), you're only permitted to drive a further 2:15 in that 24-hour period.

Anonymous said...

I find it all confusing and you just know companies will take advantage in situations

Anonymous said...

what about lay over time is that classd as a break or dose that come under driving time

Iwan said...

War if you have short stints of driving every hour with 10 - 15 min wait hourly free time is this classed as break or not?

David said...

breaks of less than 30 minutes don't count, sorry

Anonymous said...

who is responsible for drivers hours and keeping checks so they don't break the law the driver or employer

David said...

The driver is the one who gets into trouble if he goes over his hours. In the coach and lorry driving trade it is definatly the drivers responsability, the boss can not make him/her drive longer than they should. In the bus trade driver's hours are set by the company when they make up the driver's duties. What a bus driver has to watch is that he doesn't do so much overtime as to take him over his hours, usually the bus company will spot if he is likely to go over but in the end it is up to the driver.

Anonymous said...

I have been told by my union that it is a Federal Regulation that we are actually allowed to drive 15 hours a day is there an exempt carreir of this rule?

Anonymous said...

M.E. HAVING REAL PROBLEMS WITH DRIVING HOURS AT WORK,PLEASE CAN YOU ANSWER THIS FOR ME.I CLOCK IN AT 0800 SWEEP AND MOP OUT BUS THEN PROCEED TO DO MY DAILEY WALKROUND CHECK,THEN ONTO THE PUMPS FOR FUEL AND IF I GET A CHANCE ONTO THE WASH TO MANUALLY WASH THE EXTERIOR BY HAND USING BROOM,BUCKET AND PRESSURE WASH.I THEN DRIVE 20MINS TO MY START POINT,I THEN CONTIUALLY DRIVE ON SECTION 22 REGULATIONS FROM 0917 TILL 1517 ON A SPECIFIC ROUTE AND THEN 20MINS BACK TO THE DEPOT.MY BOSSES SAY I DONT NEED A BREAK AS I GET 6 DROP BACK TIMES AT THE END OF EACH TRIP RANGING FROM 5MINS TO 1MINS TOTALING TO 27 MINS WHICH THEY SAY IS AN ACCUMALATIVE BREAK EARNED AND THAT IS MY BREAK(NO WHERE AT ANY OF THESE TERMINUS,S ARE THERE ANY FACILLITIES FOR TOILETS FOOD OR WASHING)AM I DRIVING ILLEGALLY OR ARE THE COMPANY CORRECT IN WHAT THEY ARE TELLING US

Unknown said...

I need some advice,my shift was 8.10 hrs.start time 04.50hrs.I drive for 4hrs as there is no toilet facilities available until 08.50.I secure vehicle.as a result my ops manager taking his children to school saw my vehicle at terminus?.as a result he has now put me on a different route and I am know 12hrs down now.I filled out running late/lost mileage forms for this.union not recognized at company.

Unknown said...

Try doing a 6 hour & twenty minutes shift bus driving with no designated break and stand times that are lost because of traffic etc.In your opinion, is that legal ??

Anonymous said...

tell me if i do 5 hours and a half,and have a break of 22 min in total at each end of my journey have i done 5and 1/2 continoues driving.ie 5 minutes at each end one of 7 min how have i done 5 and1/2 hours it came out at i done 5 hours 33 min after taking of my 22 minutes stand time but that not continuoes driving surely,from fred.

Anonymous said...

Hi could you tell me why do company's agree that eight and a half hours off between shifts is safe

Unknown said...

Hi do I get paid for my breaks too?

Unknown said...

Do I get paid for my breaks too?

Anonymous said...

i have a question i no a school bus driver that gets up at 5am and drives bus a 6am and is done at 830am goes homes sleeps for 3 hours gets up and drives bus at 230 pm to 430 pm and goes to other department and works from 5pm to 1 am in the moring my question how is this safe ? i feel hes not getting enough sleep and hes driving a bus . this is 5 days a week thanks

Unknown said...

Hello.
I’m a bus driver in London and I have an issue regarding the Domestic Driver Hours Regulation
As a professional driver, I’m aware of the Domestic Driver Hours Regulation
Daily Driving: 10 hours on any working day
Cumulative or continuous Driving
5 ½ hours- after this, a break of at least 30 minutes must be taken in which the driver is able to obtain rest and refreshment;
or within any period of 8 ½ hours in the working day, total breaks amounting to at least 45 minutes are taken so that the driver does not drive for more than seven and three quarter hours. The driver must in addition have a break of at least 30 minutes to obtain rest or refreshment at the end of this period unless it is the end of the working day.
In the company where I work, there are some duties are scheduled to work 5 or 5 ,1/2 hours after the meal break before finish the shift. The traffic in London is chaotic and in some areas till late evening too this lead to late running. To provide a good service, the controllers are pushing us to go in-out. That is means, minimum stand time 1 or 2 minutes. By doing so, is easy to go over the Driver Hours Regulation but they said there is a special regulation for buses in London that allow us to drive up to 6 or 6 ½ hours whit out break than stop to drive for the rest of the day. I have been looking on line if there is such Regulation but I couldn’t find any. There is any one that can confirm such Regulation?
Many Thanks.
R.

Anonymous said...

Some of these comments are shocking and the employers are breaking the law. Just to touch on a couple of these. The driver using the toilet whilst on route, is perfectly entitled to do so at any point under Health and Safety Regulations and should not have aby action taken against him. The driver that is being told his stand time is accumulated break and so does not need a break is also being misinformed by his employer. This minutes totted up cannot be relied upon and used as a break and even if they could, he is supposed to be able to get rest and refreshment. Driving hours begin from the moment that you leave your depot until you get off the bus for your break.

Anonymous said...

My hubby is a psv driver, I think the company he works for are breaking the law most weeks he drives over 60 hours in 5-6 days.driving mostly 13 hour shifts. Can anyone tell me the legal daily driving law thanks

SCOTTY BOY said...

What if,your first bit of driving is 5hrs 46......u have 5mins parkn up time,not paid,btw.
Office staff tell you to take 30min break and pick next bit up late..remember...you have 5mins walking time...not paid.So when you do the maths you did not have a minimum 30min break??????

Anonymous said...

My husband works a 6 1/4 hour shift, but gets a 45 minute break before he starts, is this legal?
Also, he sometimes has a 6 hour back half without a break, again is this legal?
He does have some layover time at each destination, anything up to 5 minutes. The company has responded that because you have accumalative layover time, amounting to a maximum of 14 minutes in a shift. Is this correct.

Anonymous said...

jaysto is correct and wrong at the same time, if this is referring to driving a bus or a coach under the GB Domestic rules (PSV375).
It is such a grey area where for how long you can drive a bus or a coach until you need to take a break.
If you are driving a bus under the GB Domestic rules (PSV375) your driving hours are ruled by the Transport Act 1968 (Part VI as amended)
here is what is says.

96 Permitted driving time and periods of duty.

(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, a driver shall not on any working day drive a vehicle or vehicles to which this Part of this Act applies for periods amounting in the aggregate to more than ten hours.

(2)Subject to the provisions of this section, if on any working day a driver has been on duty for a period of, or for periods amounting in the aggregate to, five and a half hours and—

(a)there has not been during that period, or during or between any of those periods, an interval of not less than half an hour in which he was able to obtain rest and refreshment; and

(b)the end of that period, or of the last of those periods, does not mark the end of that working day,

there shall at the end of that period, or of the last of those periods, be such an interval as aforesaid.

It doesn't mention driving time only duty time under the GB Domestic rules.

Passenger-carrying vehicles
Duty time

If you work as a driver for a company, duty time is any working time. If you’re self-employed, duty time is only time you spend driving the vehicle or doing other work related to the vehicle or its load.

so as a bus driver working for an operator you should take a break at 5.5 hours of duty time or before not driving time.

Unknown said...

90 hours 2 weeks. If you work one week 34 hours next week well be 56 hours not more then that's

Unknown said...

90 hours 2 weeks. If you work one week 34 hours next week well be 56 hours not more then that's

Darren Lovell said...

Hi I am sire I'm covering old ground but can anyone explain the laws over driving hours working for a bus operator as an employee. GOV.UK after 5.5hrs driving you must take a break of at least 30 mins, some sites I have looked on say that driving is defined as being at the controls of a vehicle for the purposes of controlling its movements whether its moving or stationary with the engine running, even for a short period. I assume this not to cover stationary time with the engine off loading and unloading passengers meaning therefore you could be at the wheel for up to 6.5hrs.
Reading the Transport Act 1968 I understand their definition to be on duty for 5.5hrs if you are employed therefore I assume the loading/unloading time to count towards your 5.5hrs meaning you must have a break of not less than 30 mins at the end of this period. has anyone got a better understanding of this? Thanks in advance

David said...

Loading and unloading passengers is driving time. %.5 hours starts when you get on the bus and ends when you get off. Cashing up is nothing to do with driving hours.

Anonymous said...

My teamster union a joke they know paratransit drivers drive bus all day 12 hrs no break i had days i couldnt go to restroom!!

Anonymous said...

My partner is a bus driver, his company says he can drive 7 hours before he is entitle to a break. showing them the regulation "Alternatively, within any period of 8.5 hours in the working day, total breaks amounting to at least 45 minutes are taken so that the driver does not drive for more than 7 hours and 45 minutes. The driver must in addition have a break of at least 30 minutes to obtain rest or refreshment at the end of this period, unless it is the end of the working day" they used to have a break after 5.5 hours but new rules took it away. Couple of times drivers were asking the controller to stop but were told to carry on. Is that ok?