ON
THE BUSES | | Driving a bus is not a stress-free job |
"You
wait for over half an hour and then two come along at once." "Live
for today because you might be hit by one tomorrow." Buses
are often the butt of jokes but manoeuvring a 35 foot bus full of
impatient passengers in Luton鈥檚 rush hour is definitely no joke,
as Inside Out finds out. Safety
first
| "If
bus companies want drivers that can cope with stress and are
also safe then they are going to have to get really selective
about who they put behind the wheel. And that鈥檚 exactly what
they are doing." | | Big
George |
With
congested roads, irate passengers and tight deadlines to meet, it鈥檚
not an easy job being a bus driver, as one driver reveals. "You
can鈥檛 break in a bus like you do in a car otherwise you鈥檝e got broken
legs and broken limbs. Motorists aren鈥檛 aware of that," says a Luton
bus driver. The
Arriva bus garage in Luton is one of the largest in Britain. The
company has nearly 7,000 buses and 14,000 bus drivers.  | | Arriva
has over 80,000 bus drivers across the country |
With
such a large fleet, Arriva in Luton say they believe they've found
a way to make their drivers and passengers among the safest in the
world. Inside
Out has been granted exclusive access to the very latest training
technology used by Arriva. Practice
makes perfect
One
element of this training is a simulator, very similar to that used
by aircraft pilots. It is the only one of its kind in Europe.The
programme, including the simulator, was developed by Lisa Dorn from
Cranfield University in Bedford.  | | The
simulator allows practice in a safe environment |
The
programme is made up of simulator practice, psychometric testing
and physical training to ensure a healthy, stress-free body and
mind, a world away from the traditional teaching which involved
high speed bus driving! The
simulator recreates various problem scenarios; children running
out into the road, windy roads, heavy traffic. The bus drivers
practice in the mock-up cab complete with wing mirrors. Trainee
drivers are marked on their success. Psychometric
tests are used in the recruitment process. It is similar to
a questionnaire. Bus drivers answer questions about their skills
and how they cope in particular stressful situations. The tests
analyse whether the applicant has a suitable temperament to
drive a bus. The
drivers fitness levels are also measured - healthy body, healthy
mind, lower stress levels.
| "If
they鈥檙e treating bus drivers in the same way they鈥檙e treating
jet airline pilots, then it鈥檚 got to be a good thing for road
transport all round." | | Big
George |
The
programme ensures that new bus drivers are well equipped to deal
with the stresses of life behind a wheel, which leads to safer buses,
safer passengers and safer roads for all. So
next time you're stuck behind a bus with your stress levels rising,
think calm, happy thoughts, after all, it could be worse, you could
be driving it! | 
听听Inside Out - East: Monday 4 November, 2002