Working with people is a big aspect of the passenger transportation business, especially if you’re a bus and coach driver. It doesn’t matter if you’re a city bus driver, school bus driver or tour coach driver. You’ve likely had your fair share of rude passsengers. There’s all sorts of people using public transport, just like there’s all sorts of drivers. But when an unstoppable force is about to collide with an immovable object, hell is about to get unleashed.
Most Bus Passengers Feel Entitled
Most of the problems you may face will not be too serious. In my years on the road, I’ve dealt with messy, loud, smoking and rude passengers. All thought they were the smartest in the world (and were happy to show that to you). Let me tell you something now – most people feel entitled.
This is what is in their mind: “I paid for my ride, so I can do whatever I want!”. And because they know you can’t do anything serious without calling the police, sometimes they’re pushing it too far. Even if you call the authorities, chance is it’s not serious enough for them to deal with.
There is however, one thing all passengers who feel entitled hate.
Make a Joke About The Whole Situation
Most of these people don’t have the mental capacity to realise you’re making fun of them. Be assertive, polite and don’t forget to smile. These people are a form of bullies, meaning they WANT you to react in a frustrated way. They WANT you to yell at them from the driver’s seat, because they know you can’t do anything from there. They WANT you to lose your temper, because they know your supervisors think that “the customer is always right” and they’ll never stand their ground, despite the passenger breaking multiple rules.
There are honorable exceptions to this though. I’ve seen larger companies be much more lenient to passengers, with driver’s authority being zero to none. Smaller, private owned companies tend to care more because after all, it’s property bought with hard earned money and they’ll not let anybody disrespect it.
Joking about the situation also builds your relationship with other passengers. Whether it’s public transport or a charter, other passengers will take notice you can’t be played with and they will both respect you more and like you more for it. Depending on the situation, most people will quit it here, but for some, you’ll have to take it to the next step.
Defusing the situation in a humorous way is the first line of defense against a rude and difficult passenger. If it fails, it’s not a big deal as there are more things you can do after it, such as…
Call Out The Rude Passenger Over The Speaker
Nobody likes to be called out, especially if surrounded by strangers who’re in a hurry to get to work. But for some people, public shaming is the only remedy. I found this works much better with adults, and it is an especially good way to deal with rude passengers in public transportation. Don’t try to use it with students as it’ll more than likely backfire. I did it a few times to tell them to stop walking around the bus while I was driving. Instead of ashamed, they felt even more cool around their peers, asking me if they could say something on the microphone. At least they ask.
If calling out doesn’t work, let’s go to the next one.
Pull Over on the Next Stop to Deal With the Rude Passenger
Sometimes you just have to do it. Let them hear the handbrake do its sounds and get up from your seat. This is where every detail is important, as from the way you walk and your tone of voice they’ll know if you are serious or not (or even worse, afraid). Walk over to them with your head up and shoulders straight. Remember, it is really important you don’t say anything more than necessary. Disregard their little comments and whatever else which may get you off guard, because they WANT you to get pissed off and say something which will get you in trouble. Once again, speak assertively and slowly to show them authority. I strongly advise taking a few deep, slow breaths in and out before you intervene.
If they’re still stubborn, there’s two things you can do:
- If they’re distracting you from driving and endangering you and the other passengers, contact your dispatcher and explain the situation. While some may be more lenient, I know my boss would tell me to turn the bus around if I caught someone smoking inside.
- If there is nothing directly distracting you from driving and you have a situation where a passenger or a student doesn’t abide by your authority, contact your supervisor and tell them what happened. If they have any respect for themselves, they’ll contact the agency or school to notify them of the problem.
- If they’re drugged or drunk and harassing others (I added the “harassing others” part because I’ve driven drunk people who just fell asleep and were better passengers than most sober people are), contact both your supervisor and the police.
Last, My All Round Favourite – Kick Them Out
If you’re an owner – operator or your company allows you to kick out passengers (or it doesn’t but you couldn’t care less), do so. I’ve been tempted to do this a few times but ultimately, I chose to be the better man. Just make sure you kick them out in civilization, and not in the middle of the woods.
Bus Drivers might have to deal with a rude passenger for a variety of reasons but for 99 % of the situations, the formula is the same. While some companies have different rules and regulations, unless you’re working for a “The customer is always right” company, with these 4 steps you will establish authority even over the most troublemaking passenger (except if he’s armed, then you should just call the police immediately).
Have you ever had really troublesome passengers? Why don’t you share your experiences in the comments down below! If you’re still struggling to gain authority over passengers, join our facebook community to learn secrets by expert bus drivers on dealing with passengers and so much more.