Hope someone can help and advise on a PSV bus/coach/minibus over 8 passenger seats running with the interior lights on? Where a vehicle such as a 16 seater does not have special night lights or reading lights, if the driver runs with the internal lights on it would reflect on the windscreen and mirror, potentially dazzling or blinding the driver especially in oncoming traffic. I have had a look online and although it says it is not illegal to drive with internal lights on, it does say a Policeman can stop the driver and tell them to turn them off if they believe it is causing a distraction. Just to be clear, I am not referring to a vehicle doing a local bus service run with fare paying passengers, I am referring to a 16 seat minibus doing a school run with secondary pupils. The interior lights in the rear passenger part of the transit operate along with the front one where the driver is so it is not possible to put on the rear without the one above the driver on as well. When the side sliding door is opened to let the pupils board and disembark, the lights come on automatically so they can easily see to get on and off. The driver wants to drive with them on when driving but it increases the risk. Any advice greatly appreciated.
big buses always have the interior lights on dont they
rhynie:
Hope someone can help and advise on a PSV bus/coach/minibus over 8 passenger seats running with the interior lights on?Where a vehicle such as a 16 seater does not have special night lights or reading lights, if the driver runs with the internal lights on it would reflect on the windscreen and mirror, potentially dazzling or blinding the driver especially in oncoming traffic.
I have had a look online and although it says it is not illegal to drive with internal lights on, it does say a Policeman can stop the driver and tell them to turn them off if they believe it is causing a distraction.
Just to be clear, I am not referring to a vehicle doing a local bus service run with fare paying passengers, I am referring to a 16 seat minibus doing a school run with secondary pupils.
The interior lights in the rear passenger part of the transit operate along with the front one where the driver is so it is not possible to put on the rear without the one above the driver on as well.
When the side sliding door is opened to let the pupils board and disembark, the lights come on automatically so they can easily see to get on and off.The driver wants to drive with them on when driving but it increases the risk.
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Anything that increases risk un-necessarily is a definite NO
The employer should be pointing this out to the driver and if necessary putting it in writing to them
If the driver then fails to comply they leave themselves open to disciplinary action or being terminated (but not by Arnie)
Fit a concertina blind behind the driver’ head to cut down on the reflections in the windscreen and modify the wiring if necessary so the interior light in the front only comes on when the doors are open. Many van derived vehicles only need the front interior light switch to be set in a different positon.
Reflections in the screen can be a big a problem on buses even when there is a staircase behind the driver’s cab. In town driving this is not too big an issue but out in the country it certainly is. Often the 1st nearside interior light either has a lower wattage bulb or a blue one.
Had these problems when I was ‘on the buses’ in Brisbane. Union action had the lights re-wired so we could turn the front lights off. Even then, with some buses that had a light coloured floor there were still problems but less than before. A lot of the streets we used on Brisbane were really dark and that’s where the worst of the problems were. If I were you, I’d turn the lights off and trust the kids to behave.
peterm:
Had these problems when I was ‘on the buses’ in Brisbane. Union action had the lights re-wired so we could turn the front lights off. Even then, with some buses that had a light coloured floor there were still problems but less than before. A lot of the streets we used on Brisbane were really dark and that’s where the worst of the problems were. If I were you, I’d turn the lights off and trust the kids to behave.
I used to rearrange the cardboard advertising to cover annoying lights. 
corij:
big buses always have the interior lights on dont they
Yes, they do but they have a cab they sit in also, there is no light in door well, however didn’t stop the lights reflecting at light … as you say buses have them on … any issues the driver can put a curtain behind him to stop the glare.
The screen, curtain and other things are possible in larger buses and coaches but in the 16 passenger seat transits, the light up above (and to the left) of the driver automatically comes on with the rear lights.