SOP-12 Conduct, Uniform & Behaviour · 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.

👔

SOP-12 Quick reference

Conduct, Uniform
& Behaviour

The professional standard

Side A

The Standard – Every Day

1Full uniform, tidy: TBS shirt tucked in, navy bottoms, black closed-toe non-slip shoes. Contracted drivers: your own company’s full uniform.
2Courtesy always – passengers, colleagues, public. Even the difficult ones.
3Smoking or vaping: designated smoking areas only. Never in vehicles, enclosed areas, at bus stops or in school zones.
4No handheld phone while driving. Ever.
5Never record passengers or colleagues – and never post about passengers, children or incidents online.
6Speak up: report unsafe behaviour and hazards.

You are TBS in public

In uniform, on or off duty, your behaviour is the company’s reputation. Act like the public is watching – it is.

Zero tolerance

Aggressive, abusive, discriminatory or harassing behaviour – toward anyone – is never acceptable and is a disciplinary matter.

👔

SOP-12 Quick reference

Conduct, Uniform
& Behaviour

Rules, checklist & contacts

Side B

Key Rules & Thresholds

Uniform

Full + Tidy

Clean, ironed, tucked in, good condition. Damaged? Report it.

Smoking / vaping

Designated Areas Only

Never in vehicles, at stops or in school zones.

Phone

Seatbelt Off

Parked, park brake on, seatbelt off – never while driving.

Harassment

Zero Tolerance

Bullying, discrimination and victimisation are never acceptable.

Before You Step Out

Contracted drivers: your own company’s items wherever this says TBS
Uniform shirt clean, ironed, tucked in
Navy bottoms; TBS navy jacket/jumper only
Black closed-toe non-slip shoes
TBS headwear or wide-brimmed hat
Minimal, safe jewellery
Hi-vis at hand for yard areas
Phone set up hands-free or away

Contacts

Emergency000

Operations07 3733 3599

2 Purpose

This SOP sets the everyday standard: how you look, how you behave, and what is never acceptable.

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). It applies on duty, on TBS sites and in allocated vehicles. It also applies off duty whenever people can see you are a TBS driver – for example, in uniform.

4 Professional Conduct – These Always Apply

These rules come from the TBS Code of Conduct. You represent TBS – in uniform and out of it.

✓Do your job properly, carefully and with pride

✓Treat colleagues, passengers and the public with courtesy, dignity and respect

✓Stay patient and professional with difficult, frustrated or aggressive people

✓Never use aggressive, abusive, threatening or intimidating behaviour

✓Never use offensive language or jokes that may offend or humiliate

✓Never bully, harass, discriminate or victimise – zero tolerance

✓Never retaliate against someone who raises a genuine concern

✓Look out for one another: report hazards and unsafe behaviour

5 Uniform Standard

Wear the full uniform for every shift. Keep it clean, ironed and in good condition.

✓TBS uniform shirt – clean, ironed, tucked in

✓Navy bottoms – long or short

✓TBS-branded navy jacket or jumper only

✓Black, closed-toe, non-slip shoes

✓TBS headwear or a wide-brimmed hat

✓Minimal jewellery – nothing that creates a safety risk

✓Hi-vis vest in the depot yard, or when directed

✓Damaged or worn uniform? Report it to your supervisor

✓Contracted (non-TBS) drivers: your own company’s full uniform, to the same standard – hi-vis and footwear rules apply to everyone

Correct shirt: clean, ironed and tucked in.

6 Smoking & Vaping

Smoking and vaping are treated the same. Use the designated smoking areas – they exist so you can, without it reaching passengers, colleagues or the TBS brand.

✓Never inside any vehicle – driving or parked

✓Never in enclosed workplaces: depots, offices, workshops, restrooms

✓Never at bus stops, interchanges or school zones

✓Designated smoking areas only – at the depot, the closure site or wherever they are marked

7 Phones, Devices & Recording

Distraction and unauthorised recording are the two risks. Both have hard rules.

✓Never touch a hand-held phone while driving – moving, at the lights, in traffic

✓Hands-free only where legal, in an approved cradle

✓No device use while refuelling, reversing or walking through moving traffic

✓Never record passengers, colleagues or the public

✓Park in a safe, legal place, park brake on, seatbelt off before you use a device – never at lights, in a queue, or at a stop

✓Mitti reporting on your phone is allowed – only when the bus is parked, park brake on, seatbelt off (TBS rule)

✓In the yard: phone in your pocket while you walk around the bus; tap standing still, clear of the lanes

✓The bus tablet is bolted in the cab: use it only when the bus is parked with the park brake on – never while the bus is moving

✓Stepping off the bus – for a call or anything else? Engine off, key with you, every time

✓Company devices: business use, per the IT Policy

8 Online & Social Media

Your personal accounts are your own – but what you post can reflect on TBS, on or off duty.

✓Never post confidential TBS information, incident details, or footage from work

✓Never post photos or videos of passengers, children or colleagues

✓Never harass, bully or post negative comments about colleagues, passengers or TBS

✓Never speak on behalf of TBS unless you are authorised to

✓If your profile shows you work for or drive for TBS, make it clear your opinions are your own

✓These rules apply off duty and outside work hours

9 If the Standard Is Not Met

If you break these rules, your supervisor deals with it under the TBS Code of Conduct. Depending on how serious it is, that can be a conversation, coaching, or formal discipline. Breaking the law can be reported to the police.

Two things are always true. If you report something honestly, nobody may punish you for it. And if someone complains about you, you get a fair hearing.

10 Related SOPs

SOP	Title	Why it matters here
SOP-01	Pre-Shift: Fitness for Duty & Sign-On	Uniform check is part of every sign-on.
SOP-09	Customer Service & Complaints	The standard applied to passenger interactions.
SOP-04	On-Route: Passenger Management	The phone rules behind the wheel.

11 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 Code of Conduct	Ethical and professional standards, core values, public conduct.
TBS Workplace Uniform Policy	The full uniform standard, exemptions and replacement.
TBS Smoking Policy	Smoke-free areas and designated smoking areas.
TBS Mobile Phone & Handheld Device Policy	Device use, distraction, recording prohibitions.
TBS Bullying & Harassment Policy	Zero tolerance, definitions, reporting and protection.
TBS Workplace Social Media Policy	Personal and professional social media use, confidentiality, respectful conduct online.

§ 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.