London Bus Drivers Are Rigorously Trained

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27678, 7 June 1955, Page 9

London Bus Drivers Are Rigorously Trained

(From the London Correspondent of “The Press”)

, LONDON, May 26. The hazards of London traffic, with its high density and inadequate roads, are a gruelling test for any driver, but for the men in charge of the famous double-decker buses there is added responsibility for the safety of their passengers. To fit a driver for his task, the London Transport Executive has a rigorous training programme with a stiff test at the finish before a licence is granted.

It is not enough, the executive holds, that a driver be skilled in handling h ,e?vy vehicles. He must be specially skilled in driving a loaded bus with consideration for his passengers as well as for other road users. Prospective drivers are obtained, in the main, either from outside the organisation or from conductors or maintenance men already employed. The “outside” driver comes with experience in heavy vehicles and the training problem in his case is, broadly, one of turning him into a busman whose chief concern is his passengers. Employees inside the organisation already have this experience and the task in their case invqlves teaching the mechanics of driving. In both cases the course is difficult. The “outside” driver must have three years’ experience of driving heavy lorries and a record free from accidents or police court convictions. There is a stiff medical examination and a 30 minute driving test before an applicant can enter the training course. The trainee is given lectures and demonstrations on accident prevention and the Highway Code with mechanical and practical driving instruction under conditions as near as possible to service driving. The mechanical instruction has these three objects.

To impart ’sufficient elementary

mechanical knowledge to enable a trainee to appreciate the mechanical action which takes place when he operates the pedals and levers and thus prevent misuse of the working parts. To impress on him the best action to take in an emergency, demonstrating the mechanical advantages and disadvantages of different actions in controlling the speed and direction of his vehicle. To give a background to every employee’s job by providing a wider interest than is necessary for the mere performance of his own. The driving instruction is done first on the main highways and later in congested traffic areas. The accent in the case of the experienced driver is in acquiring the short stage carriage driver s attitude—a different outlook from any other type of driving. . The trainee is introduced to the irritation of the bell and .is encouraged to develop the sixth sense which helps to avoid accidents, such as looking along and under the chassis of a large stationary vehicle to see if pedestrians are approaching. Skid training at the Chiswick works tests the nerves as well as the skill of the driver. Obstacles are placed around a concrete driving surface on to which engine oil is poured. _ The trainee then discovers the driving faults which cause skids and learns quickly how to correct them. And finally, the trainee has a test lasting about an hour in the heavy traffic areas of London. If he passes, he is given charge of a bus. But his trial days are far from over. For the first few months of his career he is followed by driving examiners and kept up to standard regarding hand signals, positioning, stopping and starting and the mechanical use of his vehicle.