SOP-04 On-Route: Passenger Management · TBS Driver Resource Hub

1 Quick reference card

This quick reference card is the short version of this SOP. It is one page of the Quick Reference Handbook, the ring of cards in the cab. If you only have 30 seconds, use the card. The full procedure starts below.

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SOP-04 Quick reference

On-Route:
Passenger Management

Standing, capacity & access

Side A

If This Happens – Do This

1Bus filling up: seats first. Standing only on buses without seatbelts, in marked zones, holding handrails.
2Bus is full: stop boarding. Tell waiting passengers. Notify Operations if demand keeps exceeding capacity.
3Bus full, child at the stop: STOP. Never drive past. Contact Operations – they will say take the child, standing behind you at the first handle.
4Passenger needs assistance: ask first, then help. Deploy the ramp; secure the wheelchair as shown in your induction. Allow time.
5Accessibility equipment fails in service: notify Operations as soon as safe.

Standing passengers on board? Keep your distance.

Keep more distance than normal: at least 4 seconds behind the vehicle in front – double it in the wet; outside built-up areas at least 60 m behind another bus or truck. Go easy on the accelerator and the brake – a start or a stop you would hardly feel seated can knock a standing passenger over.

Phone rule

Never while driving – moving, at the lights, in traffic. Park safely, park brake on, seatbelt off first.

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SOP-04 Quick reference

On-Route:
Passenger Management

Rules, checklist & contacts

Side B

Key Rules & Thresholds

Capacity

Sticker Limit

The sticker (seated + standing) is the limit. No sticker: standing capped at about half the seats.

Gap with standees

4+ Seconds

At least 4 seconds; double it in the wet; 60 m behind a long vehicle outside built-up areas.

Standing where

Marked Zones

Only in marked zones with handrails. Never near the driver or stairwells.

Standing Passengers OK Only If

The bus has no seatbelts (not a seatbelt coach)
All seats are taken first
Everyone stands in marked zones holding rails
You are keeping a 4-second gap, easy on the accelerator and the brake
Within the sticker limit – or about half the seats standing if there is no sticker
Conditions are safe (weather, roadworks, traffic)

Contacts

Emergency000

Operations07 3733 3599

2 Purpose

This SOP tells you how to manage passenger numbers, standing passengers, and passengers who need assistance – safely and respectfully.

3 Applies To

All drivers on TBS services – TBS employees and contracted drivers alike (not the drivers of self-managed operators, who follow their own procedures) – on route service. You have full authority to enforce standing and capacity rules based on route, weather, traffic and conditions.

4 Scenarios – Trigger → Action

This is a scenario-based SOP. Find the situation that matches, and do the steps in order.

AThe Bus Is Filling Up BThe Bus Is Full CA Passenger Needs Assistance DYour Phone

Scenario A – The Bus Is Filling Up

1
Driver Seats first. Passengers must use available seats before anyone stands.
2
Driver Standing is only allowed on buses without seatbelts, in marked standing zones with handrails. Never in stairwells or near your seat. Seatbelts fitted? No standing at all.

Standing passengers on board? Keep your distance.

Keep more distance than normal: at least 4 seconds behind the vehicle in front – the TBS rule, taken from Queensland’s heavy-vehicle guidance – and double it in the wet. Outside built-up areas the law also requires at least 60 m behind another long vehicle. Go easy on the accelerator and the brake: a start or a stop you would hardly feel sitting down can knock a standing passenger over. How to count 4 seconds: when the vehicle in front passes a mark – a sign, a pole, a shadow – count “twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four”. If you reach the mark first, drop back.

3
Driver Watch the numbers. The capacity sticker on the bus shows the most it may carry, seated plus standing – that is the limit, never exceed it. The builder’s plate shows the number of seats. No sticker? Be conservative: no more standing passengers than about half the number of seats.

4
Driver Use your judgement. In bad weather, roadworks or heavy traffic you may prohibit standing. You have full authority.

Coaches and seatbelt vehicles

Standing is prohibited on any vehicle fitted with seatbelts, and on coaches built for seated travel only.

Scenario B – The Bus Is Full

5
Driver Stop boarding once the approved limit is reached.
6
Driver Tell waiting passengers clearly and politely that the bus is at capacity.
7
Driver Notify Operations if demand keeps exceeding capacity on the route.

School students – no child left behind

Never drive past a child. Stop, contact Operations – they will tell you to take the child, standing right behind you at the first handle, seatbelted bus or not. There is always room for a child. Full steps: SOP-05 · Student at the Stop

Scenario C – A Passenger Needs Assistance

8
Driver Ask before you help. Offer assistance; respect the passenger’s independence and choice.
9
Driver Deploy the ramp or lift for wheelchairs and mobility aids. Secure the wheelchair in the marked space as shown in your induction.

10
Driver Allow time. Do not move off until the passenger is seated or secured.

11
Driver Assistance animals, including guide dogs, are welcome. They travel with their handler.
12
Driver Communicate patiently. Not all disabilities are visible. Speak clearly, confirm understanding, never make assumptions.

Equipment failure in service

If the ramp or accessibility equipment fails during service, notify Operations as soon as it is safe to and follow their instructions. Report it in Mitti as a Defect (SOP-11 / SOP-14).

Scenario D – Your Phone

13
Driver Never touch a hand-held phone while you are driving – moving, at the lights, in traffic. Hands-free only where legal, in an approved cradle.
14
Driver Need to use it? Park in a safe, legal place (breakdown or crash: where you are), park brake on, seatbelt off – then the phone. You can stay in your seat; the engine can stay on. The seatbelt off shows anyone watching, or any camera, that the bus is parked, not driving. Stopped at lights or in traffic is still driving – no phone.
15
Driver Stepping off the bus for the call? Engine off, key with you – every time, whether the bus is empty or full. Stay where you can see the door.

Two rules, not one

The phone rule is “parked, park brake on, seatbelt off”. Leaving the bus is a different rule: a bus is never left with the engine running – nobody can drive it away, and the law requires it. On a hot day with passengers on board, make the call from your seat: the air conditioning keeps running.

Zero tolerance

TBS applies zero tolerance to unsafe phone use while driving or during safety-critical tasks. Never record passengers, colleagues or the public.

5 Associated Forms & Tools

Item	What it is used for
Radio / Ops line	Notify Operations about capacity issues, equipment failures, student overcapacity.
Capacity sticker	The passenger limit for your bus, seated plus standing. The builder’s plate shows the number of seats. No sticker: standing capped at about half the seated capacity.
In-vehicle signage	Standing zones and, where fitted, the capacity sticker. No sticker? Standing no more than about half the number of seats (step 3).

Where do I find these forms?SOP-14 · The Forms and Reports – Your Shift, Start to Finish

6 Related SOPs

SOP	Title	Why it matters here
SOP-05	On-Route: Child & School Transport	The full child-safety procedure, including No Child Left Behind.
SOP-09	Customer Service & Complaints	Handling difficult or unhappy passengers.
SOP-06	Incident, Accident & Hazard Reporting	Reporting passenger incidents and equipment defects.

7 Related Policies

These TBS policies are the source of this SOP. They carry the full rules and the legal detail.

Policy	What it covers
TBS Standing Passenger Policy	Capacity limits, standing zones, driver authority.
Queensland Road Rules (TORUM – Road Rules Regulation 2009) s126–127	Safe following distance; 60 m minimum behind another long vehicle outside built-up areas.
TBS Accessibility & Disability Policy	Assisting passengers, ramps and securement, assistance animals, communication.
TBS Mobile Phone & Handheld Device Policy	Zero tolerance for handheld use while driving; recording prohibitions.

§ Version Control

Version	Date	Author	Approved by	Summary of changes
1.0	8 September 2026	Buswise	TBS approved	First issue.

Driver acknowledgement of this SOP is recorded in Mitti: the combined SOP document (SOP-01 to SOP-14) is acknowledged once, at onboarding, in Mitti Training.