Bridge bash in Winchester.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Seriously, another one? WTF. Apparently a double-deck school bus has hit a railway bridge. A parent has suggested that the driver was "new and unfamiliar with the route."

So does this mean that the driver isn't issued with a hard copy of the route to be taken? Is there no safe method of work required? Do they just hand the driver the keys and watch him sail off into the distance without learning the way.

Is there no legal requirement for a commercial bus operator to brief its staff on which bridges are too low for each type of vehicle it runs?

I thought they published maps that showed low bridges on.

I do know that the bus companies which obtained rail franchises at Privatisation quickly showed themselves to be incapable of running a bath, but I'd kinda hoped that there was some regulation on the roads. Guess not.

BW

[davat]

As an ex bus manager way back in the 1960/70/80's I think todays buses are run on a budget and couldn't care less attitiude. I was quallified to drive any size of bus including the old crash gear boxes. During my tuition it was stressed that the driver was responsible for knowing the height and length of his vehicle and stressed that he must watch out on unfamiliar routes for width and height of bridges etc..
I remember once checking with the police about a route for a Private Hire that had been requested and was assured that the vehicle height was OK for the required route but on the day whilst on this route a low bridge sign appeared and the driver had to turn round and take an alternative route, which was a lot longer and much more costly to the Company, and having qouted a price we could not ask for more at the end from the hirer.


Davat

[hereward]

We have a bridge near us, it was hit 12 times in a three month period by lorries. Baffles me why the technology to prevent this isn’t available.

[DSY011]

As a driver for Bristol Omnibus when I first came to the city, we were told that the driver had to learn all the low bridges in the city. On top of that, the height of the bus was painted in the cab just above the drivers head. We had both high and low decker buses. Even today the bus height is printed in the cab. I drove city and country buses for over 10 years. (A bit deferent to firing Garratt's).

[aussiesteve]

Maybe the bus driver wanted to turn his double decker into a "convertible".
Let the sun shine in on the top deck cattle.
I remember riding a double decker omnibus in Berlin, it was a convertible.
It began to bucket down rain and the driver had to stop to attempt to roll the canvas roof along to keep us dry up top.
Well even the pair of blokes roaming around Pommyland in their "fish and chips" van got wedged under a low concrete awning.
Was on late nite tv here as a series about touring the Old Dart and checking out the Pommy cuisine on offer.
And that tv series docco about yer Paddington station featured a couple of high vans getting wedged under the nearby rail underpass.
Might be you lot getting confused between metric and imperial height measurement.