PCV Driver Training Didn’t Help Bus Driver in Roundabout

Last week we used one of our daily blog posts to share the story of a Norwich bus driver who accidentally found himself stranded on a narrow street with no exit. A video of the driver shows him skilfully pulling off a 140-point turn to get the bus out of its jam. It seems another driver, also employed by First Bus, was not so fortunate. He stranded his bus on top of a roundabout in Oldham while attempting to avoid roadworks. Apparently, his PCV driver training did not come in handy this time around.

The Manchester Evening News reported that it appeared the driver was attempting to get through the roadworks and past the roundabout by driving over the concrete structure rather than following the normal path for traffic. In the process, he managed to strand the bus when its undercarriage came in contact with the surface of the barrier. A video of a stranded bus also shows that the driver ran over a bollard at some point.

According to a First Bus spokesperson, the company established a temporary emergency route to get around the roadworks in the area, but the driver was not informed in time. Once he found himself at the roundabout, he had little choice of what to do. A passer-by, who is also a former bus driver himself, told the Manchester Evening News that the driver indicated to him that he thought there was sufficient clearance to make it over the roundabout. Unfortunately, he was wrong. It took about three hours to free the bus and get the roundabout reopened to traffic.

Always New Challenges

We can appreciate what the Oldham and Norwich bus drivers went through in their respective incidents. In Oldham, the driver found himself in a sticky situation through no fault of his own. In Norwich, the bus in question ended up on the wrong street because road signs in the area were improperly marked. The only difference between the two instances is that one ended up with a stranded bus while the other saw the bus driver getting it out of the situation and on its way.

If nothing else, the stories demonstrate how challenging professional bus driving can be. For a worker who doesn’t enjoy sitting behind a computer or standing on the assembly line all day, the constant challenges of professional driving are a refreshing change. Fortunately, most professional drivers will complete their entire careers without finding themselves in dangerous situations. However, when such situations do arise, proper PCV driver training is indispensable.

The HGV Training Centre is your source for comprehensive PCV driver training in the UK. Our training classes utilise a fast paced and intense approach to train students who learn and retain the information they need to pass their tests. What’s more, our students are trained and ready to look for work in the matter of weeks. We can train you if you are looking to drive a bus professionally.

Sources:

1. Manchester Evening News – https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/watch-bus-gets-stuck-after-8579591