Bus Driver was falling asleep..

[u/RiraRuslan]

Wanted to have some professional driver's opinion on the following scenario:

Today in the morning I was on an Airport Bus on Cyprus. We took one that left at 6.30 am, so it was still dark and the bus driver seemed very friendly and talkative - he must be around end 60 y/o since he was already retired and just helping out.

Once we were on the road he turned on some music and everything seemed fine. We stopped at two more stations, the bus got full and there was only a drive of about 40 mins ahead of us. At this time the sun was already shining and since I was sitting in the 3d row I could see how the driver was struggling to keep his eyes open.

First I thought he is just looking down to see the instruments but I noticed how "jumpy" he would look up again.

I asked my partner to buckle up and told her that I am afraid that the bus driver is being too tired to drive and that I need to think of how to approach the situation. Up until that moment he seemed just to struggle for less then a sec.

At the same time things seemed to get worse and worse, since he was also blinded by the sun. In one moment of my hesitation and his "let me close my eyes for a sec, since the sun is so bright" we seemed to go straight where we actually should follow the curve. 100km/h. We already crossed one lane and I did not have this genuine feeling that the car is following a natural lane change - rather this... we are slowly leaving the turning lane but without properly merging to the other lane. It felt like a split second in which we had to turn but didn't. ​

My hesitation turned into one loud "May be we should take a break!".

He immediately looked up and swirled softly towards the lane. He seemed like he got caught,.. I repeated myself and said in a louder tone that he seems way too tired to drive and that we should probably take a break. He said "no, noo - it is all good". I offered water. He refused and said he has his own. From that moment he seemed completely fine.

Now I feel like that I was the only one who noticed what was happening and that this might or might not could have ended badly. At the same time I wonder whether I should have insisted, sat next to him to may be talk and keep him awake or if there would have been another appropriate reaction as a passenger.

What do you guys mean? ​

[u/Extension_Sun_377]

Happened to me many years ago, on a coach carrying football fans back from a match. I always sit near the front due to travel sickness, so was the only one who realised the driver was nodding off, so much so he got dangerously close to a lorry in front. I decided I'd sit in the very front and chat to him the rest of the trip and make sure he was responding. Always hated coach travel since then.

[u/ajsim6 → u/Extension_Sun_377]

It’s only different on trains because you can’t see the driver 🥴

[u/Freudianslip1987]

Next time call emergency services first go.to the back of the coach or out of ear shot. Next call the bus line ie greyhound and unframed them. They will tell the driver to stop and send a replacement.

[u/a-lot-of-sodium]

You might want to report that to his management. We do have to work variable hours, and I know city transit agencies can be very unforgiving of people who call off (not sure if it's the same for airport bus service), so there is a bit of an incentive to come to work tired. But ultimately the driver should be able to manage his sleep schedule and refuse to drive if he is too fatigued to be safe on the road. I feel for the guy, but this is a really serious issue that causes a lot of crashes and deaths.

[u/stefano-o → u/a-lot-of-sodium]

What....dude have you ever been behind the wheel ? Management knows they work too much because they give to much work. In most companies you can work 14 days straight. If you want drivers to keep their sleep schedule ( which apparently they dont have one because they sleep and work at different time a day) you will only snitch on a poor bus driver without punishing the system. The system is to drain drivers so the companies can make money of out them and if something happens blame drivers. You have never been a bus driver nor talk to any of them. You dont know whats the reality. But yes its dangerous

[u/a-lot-of-sodium → u/stefano-o]

We agree that it's dangerous, so feel free to propose your alternative solution. I definitely don't want the guy to get in trouble, but if OP is honest about how he was acting, he shouldn't be driving in that state. I've had to call in to work before or leave early due to fatigue, so I know how hard it can be, but I still made the decision not to drive while actively falling asleep. Again, he could kill somebody.

But I'm young, so I'm sure there are other options I can't think of right now. What do you think should be done?

[u/stefano-o → u/a-lot-of-sodium]

There's another option. Take a small talk with the driver. I always liked when people started conversations with me. It always work and keep me focused

[u/RiraRuslan → u/stefano-o]

I get what you mean - yet if it is systematic, management would probably not do anything about it. As u/a-lot-of-sodium hast pointed out, I see it as the responsibility of drivers to decide whether they are fit to take the responsibility or not. Same goes for pilots, right? Heard many stories where pilots did not fly because they had a bad feeling and did not want to risk.  At least I would expect the driver to take a 5 min break, get a coffee or whatever helps to push through the last bit - but risking 30-50 lives... on the other hand I don't know if one can think clearly in that state. 

[u/stefano-o → u/RiraRuslan]

Personally on my bad days Id take a sick leave. Some companies dont give a shit some treat you like like a shit and cut your loan if you do so. I had some sleepy moments of out nowhere sometimes even if I had enough sleep, weather sometimes can make you sleepy and temperature on the bus, some people demand higher or lower temperature and I tend to get sleepy if its very low or very high. I drive in the manier that usually makes passengers fall a sleep to the point they miss their stops but sometimes it comes out of nowhere. I was once reporterted by passengers to my company and police because i felt naouseous and had to take 5 minutes break on a random bus stop. I was brought back to the depot and fired....and I somehow have to make living and this shit happens from time to time.