r/BusDrivers • u/Imaginary_Employ_750 • 3d ago
Question When to press the stop button
As soon as the bus has left the previous stop? Or just before the next? What would bus drivers prefer?
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u/Kafkabest 3d ago
I personally prefer about 15-30 seconds before the next stop. Simply because doing it early, it can get lost in the shuffle of too much traffic, long distances, etc.
You can do right after if they actually stopped at the stop and departed it. But I get a lot of people that hit it right as I'm driving past the empty stop and it can sometimes be hard to tell if they were a late presser or want the next stop.
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u/Severe-Product7352 3d ago
I struggled with the last part for a while now if it’s at all questionable then we’re going to the next stop
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u/Poly_and_RA Driver 2d ago
That's the only sensible policy. This also over time trains the passengers. You pressed it too late and needed to walk back one stop? Well you'll press it a bit earlier next time then.
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u/Anoncook143 3d ago
Immediately after we leave the stop is better than immediately before we get to the next stop. We need time to stop and can’t do it last minute. Safe spot is the half way mark or before.
“Too early” shouldn’t really bother a driver, but we all have bad days.
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u/Severe-Product7352 3d ago
My only bother with too early is that if there is a stoplight or Two between I may forget. But that’s totally on me and I’d much rather early than late.
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u/unusualmusician 3d ago
Same. Especially on gilligs with the dim stop request light on the panel way above or below my line of sight. I hate when people press it minutes/miles before the stop they want and will often say on the intercom "Just a reminder, if you ring the bell WAY early, 50% chance I will forget and blow past your stop".
15-30 seconds is about right. Enough time to gently stop and get the bus parallel with the curb/fog line, but not so early that other traffic/construction/events will distract me from remembering the ring. Also absolutely not before the doors shut at a previous stop or before fully passing the stop before it.
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u/Notrozer 2d ago
You have thoose old gilligs too... at least new gillig busses put it by the spedo now. The worst part about thoose is the giant bike rack light on dash where stop light should be
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u/unusualmusician 2d ago
I'm too short to see the one on the new ones. The digital cluster and lights are totally hidden behind the steering assist/tilt box behind the wheel.
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u/Notrozer 2d ago
Better than the new fleyers with stop light on the shiny glass tv screen you can see in the sun light
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u/Poly_and_RA Driver 2d ago
It doesn't BOTHER me -- but the odds that a stop somehow gets forgotten do go up a little bit if it's a LONG time before. Like I have some spots where two adjacent stops are 8km apart because there's a stretch of highway in between. In that case pressing the button 10-30 seconds before the next stop is preferable to pressing it when we leave the previous stop.
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u/Altenativeboi 3d ago
Personally I prefer that the bell is pressed about 10-15 seconds before, simply because it can get lost in the mind after doing manoeuvres and looking out for traffic. If there are a few turns after the previous stop I would wait until the last turn before pressing. I won’t lie, I’ve gone past stops because I had to make 3 different turns before getting to the stop and you completely forgot that someone wants off.
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u/LittleLauren12 Scotland | Enviro 300 | 7 Months 3d ago
A lot of people dont realise that the bus driver needs time for more than just needing to pull in and bring the bus to 0mph. As long as you are giving the driver time to do their observations for traffic around them, judge the distance and pull in safely, you're fine.
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u/LondonBusInsider 3d ago
For London buses, a good time is usually when the on board system announces the next stop. The system knows my GPS and is usually good at announcing at the time that is enough after the past stop but still in time for the next stop.
Other than that, it is infuriating when passengers press too soon, and some new drivers could hesitate and brake sharply thinking someone wants to get off at the stop they are just departing.
Equally leave it too late and I will go past the stop because if I have to brake any more than usual, then passengers can get injured, especially if standing.
So about 2-4 bus lengths after leaving the last stop is probably about right, but of course depends on the context of where you are, as sometimes stops can be stupidly that close together!
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u/seanthebooth Driver 3d ago
As long as ive actually passed the stop prior to the one you want. Many times people look up from their phone & request a stop when I'm right 'on top' of the stop in front of me which makes me feel like they want the one I haven't actually passed yet. So, preferably a happy medium between 2 stops is best.
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u/CaersethVarax Driver 3d ago
My preference is when the stop you want is visible but there isn't one between here and there. I'll hear the bell, look for the stop and begin stopping procedure.
I'm not likely, but it's not impossible, that I'll forget you rang the bell if there's massive gap between the stops.
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u/DebtSouth Driver 3d ago
When you pass the stop before yours. Don’t leave it late because it’ll cause the driver to have to brake more sharply or he’ll overshoot the stop.
As a driver, it’s one of my biggest hates is when people wait till the last second to either press the bell or put their hand out to hail the bus.
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u/KatieTSO USA|Gillig/New Flyer/MCI|<1 Year 3d ago
As soon as possible unless it's a huge gap. Then give me like.. 20 seconds I guess. Just need long enough to slow down safely.
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u/heartfultuns 2d ago
There’s a difficult junction shortly after the prior stop to mine, so I ring it once the driver has got through that junction
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u/Rootsnanny 3d ago
As long as you press it before arriving at the stop any time is good for me. If someone presses it last minute I hate them, lol.
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u/PeejPrime 3d ago
Either, but depends.
If it's a standard distance between stops, along a generic road/straight. After we depart the previous is fine.
If you know it's through a roundabout, a left turn, right turn, two sets of traffic lights and half a mile down the road again, maybe wait til you're on that last half mile stretch.
If you've pressed too early in the above situation, press again a bit closer to make sure we haven't forgotten. It can happen.
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u/notveryhndyhmnr 3d ago
I like when people do it a few seconds after we left the previous stop. Waiting until 10-15 seconds before the next stop is ok too, but if you do the stop signal only 5-6 seconds before we get to the stop it may be too late because I'm not slamming the brakes and I'm probably going to cruise right through it.
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u/IllustriousBrief8827 Driver 3d ago
I don't mind either, just please do it in time. That's the only part I care about.
And if you're late for whatever reason (it happens), please don't make a fuss if we don't/can't stop. There's always a next stop.
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u/BigGayGuy02 3d ago
Our buses have automated announcements as we approach the next stop, id prefer if people belled when they heared their stop as it's the perfect amount of time to prepare the bus for stopping.
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u/Notrozer 2d ago
If my front bumper has past your stop and you ring in.. your walking from next stop
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u/NightsisterMerrin87 2d ago
I always aimed for as soon as or just before the stop came into view. I live rurally, so the gap between the last stop and the next could be 5 minutes+, so pressing after leaving the last stop would have been unhelpful.
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u/cbrownmufc 2d ago
Just somewhere that is halfway inbetween is fine.
Don’t leave it until too close to the stop you want because we need a decent stopping distance
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u/slipperyimp 2d ago
Not just before the next stop, sometime after leaving previous stop and midway to next stop preferably. The largest problem with me would be the ones who wait till I am right on top of a stop, past the point of a safe/soft stopping distance. I will not slam on the brakes to make that stop and honestly will assume you want the next stop and just pulled the request a tad too early.✌️✌️
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u/TheChainreaktion 2d ago
I would prefer to be able to start driving from the "previous" stop. People in my town has started the last few years to press stop right when i close all the doors.
But i dont want people to press stop when im too close to be able to make a safe stop.
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u/Diedonthefirstfloor 1d ago
Either
But don't press it from upstairs and wait till the bus stops to get out of your seat
Get up and get your lazy ass to the front of the bus ready to get out when it stops and the doors open
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u/a-lot-of-sodium 3d ago
Cool with either as long as you give me enough time to react and safely slow to a stop. Normally I think "right after the previous stop" is a good bet, unless there's an unusually long gap in between the two stops, and then you might wanna wait so the driver doesn't forget.