When I learned to drive a bus at West Yorkshire Road Car Bus Company in 1983, the first thing that I learned from my instructor, Pete, was the value of a good walk-round check.
Back then the prime reason appeared to me to be less about vehicle safety, but more to protect yourself when you took over a bus. This was to ensure that you did not get accused by the company of having had a ‘bump’, when it was the previous driver who caused the damage but had ‘forgotten’ to admit it.
Pete was preoccupied with this, because this happened to him. Pete had not done a walk-round check as he was in a hurry and, being a good professional, wanted to get on service as soon as possible.
In today’s world as a driver or passenger, apps have revolutionised information. Passengers can see their bus, the stop, and what time it is going to arrive.
They can download their own tickets and simply show the driver an e-ticket on their smartphone.
But what has technology done for the bus driver?
It is without doubt a big part of the driver’s experience. Driving styles are monitored and scored, daily information is shared, duties can be changed, holidays can be booked, overtime allocated, compliments paid and disciplines arranged.
And, all with the ease and comfort of a hand-held device. When I started my career a hand-held device was an Almex ticket machine, today it is a flash of the phone and no ticket is required.
What is available with an app?
It’s vast: On-the-spot transactions are available care of the driver, easy to buy coach and bus tickets are freely available, route obstacles and delays can be given to drivers in real time and then shared with passengers to plan journeys and connections.
Accurate arrival times can be given and details, co-ordinates, maps, and photos of stops for passengers who may not be aware of which stop they need to use.
Some apps have proven themselves to be effective and saved money and lives. Walk-round checks are now done by pressing buttons with immediate sharing of live data straight to engineers.
What can we expect future driver apps to include?
Time management to comply with legal requirements is already available, as is fuel management technology and driver distraction avoidance.
One app at an early stage of development measures people’s moods when driving.
This started off examining emergency service drivers, like the police. The theory is that if people are in a relaxed state of mind they will drive calmly.
If on the other hand you have just had a big row, and you are angry or stressed then that can affect the driving style and impair control.
