03 January Monitoring & Safety Equipment On Buses Periscopes & CCTV Monitors/Cameras. John Carrington

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1 03 January 2016 Monitoring & Safety Equipment On Buses Periscopes & CCTV Monitors/Cameras John Carrington

2 John carrington Monitoring & Safety Equipment on Buses Periscopes & CCTV Monitors/Cameras Periscopes Periscopes There is no legal requirement to have a periscope on a bus. The only relevant requirement is regulation 33 of the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981 (S11981/257) which states that: "Except in the case of a vehicle which has a seating capacity not exceeding 12 passengers, adequate means shall be provided in every vehicle to enable passengers on any deck to signal the driver." This could be a periscope, CCTV or another device. CCTV There is no requirement for buses to be fitted with CCTV, although in London all buses must have CCTV (Transport for London specification to qualify for route bidding). What about, on a Double-deck Bus There is a different law that covers the use of periscopes and or CCTV Monitoring systems and that is; The Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 Section 7 Carriage of standing passengers 7.-(1) No person shall drive, or cause or permit to be driven, on a road a vehicle if the number of standing passengers exceeds the maximum specified in relation to that vehicle. 7.-(2) No person shall stand on- a) The upper deck or any step leading to the upper deck of any double-decked vehicle, So to ensure that this law is not broken by any company official, the driver needs to be able to see the upper deck at all times. By not observing this law the company would be liable to prosecution. 1

3 John Carrington Supporting Evidence a) Prosecutors look at evidence of Sevenoaks school children standing illegally on bus top deck. EVIDENCE gathered by the Chronicle showing schoolchildren crammed and standing illegally on the top of a double decker bus has been handed over to prosecutors. Last week the paper exposed the dangerous journey facing pupils returning home to Sevenoaks from Tonbridge hurtling down the A21 on board the Arriva 562 bus. The Department for Transport confirmed the practice was illegal and sent our photographic evidence to the investigations team at the Vehicle Drivers Standards Agency. A Department of Transport spokesman said: "It is illegal to stand on the upper deck of any double decker bus and breach of this condition is punishable by a fine on conviction." Our move comes as police reveal new statistics showing 59 accidents between last October and December on the same Sevenoaks stretch of the A21 used by the 562. Of these two caused serious injury, 47 were classed accidents and 10 caused only slight injury. "It is sometimes difficult for a lone driver to manage the behavior of school children, so we are also writing to all schools in the area, asking them for their support in resolving this issue. We are able to use CCTV to identify children who persistently refuse to follow instructions not to stand upstairs." Read more: In this article the use of CCTV or a periscope would help the driver identify where passengers are breaking the law and persisting in doing this therefore preventing a fine to the company. Without CCTV or a periscope driver would be un aware and the company would end up being prosecuted and fined. b) Driving Standards Agency The Official Guide To Driving Buses The law relating to vehicles is extensive. Manufacturers, operators and drivers all must obey specific regulations. The manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is built to comply with the Construction and Use Regulations. 1) The operator is responsible for making sure that a vehicle continues to comply with those regulations 2 meets all current requirements and new regulations as they re introduced

4 John carrington is tested as required displays all required markings, signs, discs and certificates is in a serviceable condition, including equipment, fittings and fixtures. In addition, the operator must operate a system whereby drivers of the vehicle can report defects and have them solved effectively. The operator shouldn t cause or permit a vehicle to be operated in any way other than the law allows. 2) The driver has a legal responsibility for taking all reasonable precautions to ensure that legal requirements are met before driving any vehicle checking that the vehicle is fully roadworthy and free from significant defects before driving it ensuring that any equipment, fittings or fixtures required are present and serviceable Not driving the vehicle if any fault develops that would make it illegal to be driven ensuring that all actions taken whilst in charge of the vehicle are lawful. c) Stagecoach conditions of carriage Conduct of passengers We reserve the right to refuse you entry, or require you to leave our buses or premises at any time, should we have reason to believe that your behavior jeopardies the safety, security and comfort of others. When travelling with us you must in particular: refrain from smoking either conventional or electronic cigarettes behave in a manner that is not abusive or threatening and does not cause offence to other customers or staff refrain from eating and drinking items which make the environment unpleasant for other customers or otherwise cause offence refrain from consuming alcohol 3

5 John Carrington refrain from playing loud music or operating a personal device at a volume which may be heard by other passengers refrain from leaving rubbish or discarded items on the bus not be wearing soiled working clothes or carrying any soiled items which might stain the seats etc follow the instructions of our staff and act in a manner which shows due regard for the safety and comfort of other customers and company employees, including not standing adjacent to emergency exits, the vehicle entrance, next to the driver or sitting in gangways, on staircases or standing upstairs on a double deck vehicle if the vehicle you are travelling on is fitted with seat belts, you are legally required to wear it notify a member of staff immediately if you sustain an injury whilst boarding, travelling on or getting off a bus follow the directions of staff concerning the maximum number of standing passengers that a bus is permitted to carry. All of our vehicles contain clear signage setting out their standing capacity except in an emergency, not talk to the driver whilst the bus is moving, obstruct the driver s vision or otherwise distract him have due regard at all times for the needs of our elderly, young and disabled customers and, in particular, vacate seats and spaces designed for the elderly and disabled when requested not distribute leaflets, papers or other articles or offer anything for sale or collect for charity without our prior written consent not interfere with equipment fitted on the vehicle not deliberately damage or deface any part of the vehicle d) Stagecoach Manchester - Man, 46, dies of head injury after falling backwards down stairs of a double-decker bus. Man boarded the bus with his partner in Stockport 4

6 John carrington He had a carrier bag in one hand and a crutch in the other as he attempted to climb the bus stairs The 46-year-old then fell backwards on to the floor He was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries By Suzannah Hills Published: 13:47, 10 August 2013 Updated: 14:00, 10 August 2013 Read more: Follow on Twitter DailyMail on Facebook This was also reported in the Mancheter evening news and also the BBC. This is what could happen if the driver has no CCTV or periscope to see where the passengers are and if they have safely been seated before leaving the bus stop or station e) Safety Issues - If a person or persons stands on the upper deck, then center of gravity shifts upwards. If it happens then stability decreases. For example it is better or easy to sit in a cradle than to stand. The same applies here. There occurs an imbalance by standing. If anyone falls on the upper deck, not only can they fall down but they can also fall down a flight of stairs. 5

7 John Carrington Conclusion As a bus operator and a driver to meet all these legislations which are in place and to avoid prosecution and fine it surely sensible to ensure that vehicles leaving the depot meet the DSA guidelines of the construction and use regulations. If this is done then there will be no failure on meeting the Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 Section 7. It s not the legislation on having CCTV or periscopes; it s the legislation that s not being carried out by not having them working effectively, which causes laws to be broken. A driver who takes a vehicle out with these defects would be breaking the law, and Stagecoach policy. Both the driver and the company have legal responsibilities. There is various health and safety issues as well by not having a view of the upper saloon, such as smokers on the bus, fires, graffiti, and assaults on other passengers just a few examples. Anyone who is forced in to taking a bus out in service without a working periscope or CCTV monitor for the upper deck is not just breaking the law they are putting themselves and the travelling public at risk. As you can see from the Stagecoach Manchester article it was well published through the media and gives a poor example of what Stagecoach Bus is about. 6