15 Trainee Bus Driver Assessment: Free Scenario Questionnaire & Answers
1. You’re approaching a zebra crossing. A pedestrian is standing at the kerb, chatting on their phone, not looking at the road. What should you do?
A. Sound the horn briefly to get their attention, then drive on.
B. Stop and wait, because they might step out without looking.
C. Slow down but keep rolling — they’ll look up when they’re ready.
D. Wave them across while moving forward slowly.
Answer: B
A pedestrian at a crossing, even a distracted one, has priority once they show any intention to cross. Standing at the kerb is enough. Don’t wave them across, it can confuse other road users and you might miss a cyclist filtering past. Just stop, make eye contact if possible, and wait. No sudden gestures, no horn. Safe and predictable always wins.
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2. A wheelchair user signals that they want to board at the next stop. What’s the correct sequence once you’ve stopped?
A. Lower the ramp, let them board, secure the wheelchair, then ask for the fare.
B. Ask for the fare first, then lower the ramp.
C. Lower the ramp, allow them to board, and ask them to position themselves without securing — they’ll hold the rail.
D. Let other passengers board first, then deal with the wheelchair user last.
Answer: A
You deploy the ramp, guide them to the wheelchair bay, and secure the chair using the approved restraint system before you touch the fare or move the bus. A wheelchair user’s safety comes before any transaction. Never ask a passenger to hold onto a rail instead of being clamped in; an unexpected jolt can cause serious injury. Once they’re secure, then sort out the ticket, and only then move off.
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3. You’re driving a double-decker on a narrow residential street. A parked car on your left reduces the gap, and an oncoming vehicle is approaching. What do you do?
A. Speed up to squeeze through before the other vehicle gets closer.
B. Flash your headlights to tell the other driver to reverse.
C. Stop at the widest point before the obstruction and let the other vehicle pass.
D. Mount the kerb on the right to make room.
Answer: C
Never flash your lights to claim priority, and don’t assume the other driver knows what you want. The bus is the larger vehicle, so you give way even if technically you might have right of way. Stopping before the pinch point, in a position where you’re visible and predictable, lets the smaller oncoming car navigate around you safely. Mounting the kerb can damage pavements, injure pedestrians, or destabilise a top-heavy vehicle.
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4. A passenger becomes verbally aggressive after you ask them to move away from the front doors. They are shouting and swearing but haven’t touched anyone. What’s your first step?
A. Stop the bus immediately and order them off.
B. Radio control for assistance and keep your voice calm.
C. Raise your voice so other passengers know you’re in charge.
D. Ignore them and continue driving.
Answer: B
Your job is to de-escalate, not to win an argument. Stop the bus only if you feel immediate danger. If it’s verbal aggression, keep the bus stationary if it’s safe, contact your depot or control room using an agreed code phrase, and speak in a low, steady tone. Never manhandle a passenger unless you’re preventing physical harm. And ignoring them can make them escalate — silence sometimes reads as contempt.
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5. You’re turning left at a junction. A cycle lane runs along your nearside. What must you do before you commit to the turn?
A. Check the nearside mirror only.
B. Check the nearside mirror and physically look over your left shoulder at the blind spot.
C. Sound the horn once as a warning.
D. Turn quickly to block the cycle lane and prevent cyclists from filtering.
Answer: B
Cyclists filter up the inside, and they’re easy to miss in a standard mirror check. A shoulder check is the only way to clear the blind spot along the side of a bus. Sounding the horn can startle a cyclist into swerving, and accelerating to “close the gap” is horribly dangerous. Take the extra second to look, every single time.
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6. You hear an emergency siren behind you. Traffic is heavy, and you’re approaching a set of red traffic lights. How do you respond?
A. Immediately brake and stop wherever you are.
B. Proceed through the red light carefully to clear a path.
C. Continue at the same speed until you reach a safe place to pull over.
D. Indicate, slow down, and pull in when it’s safe — even if it means passing the lights first.
Answer: D
You never break traffic laws, even for an emergency vehicle. Proceed normally, signal your intentions, and pull over to the left as soon as there’s a safe gap. If the lights are red and there’s no shoulder, you might need to go through them slowly to clear space, but only if directed by a uniformed officer or if doing so prevents a collision. The emergency vehicle driver will find their way through; your job is to be predictable, not panicked.
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7. You notice a passenger in a forward-facing seat starting to shake and their eyes roll back — it looks like a seizure. What’s the best immediate action?
A. Restrain them so they don’t hurt themselves.
B. Put something in their mouth to prevent them swallowing their tongue.
C. Stop the bus in a safe position, clear the area around them of sharp objects, and time the seizure.
D. Pour water on their face to bring them round.
Answer: C
Old myths die hard. Never restrain a seizing person or put anything in their mouth. Protect their head with something soft if possible, move bags or sharp edges away, and note the time. Most seizures stop on their own within a couple of minutes. Call emergency services if it lasts longer than five minutes, if it’s their first seizure, or if they’re injured. When it’s over, talk gently and let them recover in their own time.
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8. During your pre-trip walkaround, you find a rear tyre with a cut deep enough to expose the cords. It’s the last bus of the morning and the depot is rushing. What do you do?
A. Drive but keep speeds under 30 mph.
B. Mark it on the defect sheet and take the bus anyway — you’ll report it when you return.
C. Refuse to take the bus out and report it immediately to the shift supervisor.
D. Swap it with the spare tyre yourself before leaving.
Answer: C
Exposed cords mean the tyre is illegal and unsafe. No ifs. It doesn’t matter how tight the schedule is. You note it on the defect report, tell the supervisor, and do not move that bus until a qualified person declares it roadworthy. Your licence is on the line, and more importantly, a blowout in a heavy passenger vehicle can kill.
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9. You’ve stopped on a steep uphill slope to pick up passengers. Which technique stops you rolling back when you move off in a manual bus?
A. Rev the engine high and dump the clutch quickly.
B. Use the handbrake, find the biting point with the clutch, then release the handbrake as you apply power.
C. Ride the footbrake and clutch at the same time.
D. Press the accelerator and brake simultaneously with the same foot.
Answer: B
Hill starts in a bus demand a solid handbrake technique. With the handbrake on, you bring the clutch up until the nose of the bus lifts slightly and the revs drop — that’s the bite. Then release the handbrake smoothly while adding a little gas. In an automatic, the hill-hold function does some of this for you, but you still need to be ready with the accelerator. Riding the footbrake and clutch together will glaze the clutch and leave you rolling backwards in a heartbeat.
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10. A parent with a folded pushchair and a toddler boards your bus. The pushchair is bulky and the accessible area is needed for a wheelchair user at the next stop. How do you handle it?
A. Ask the parent to collapse the pushchair fully and store it in the luggage rack.
B. Let them keep it in the wheelchair bay and ask the wheelchair user to wait for the next bus.
C. Allow the pushchair to block the aisle as long as the toddler sits on the parent’s lap.
D. Ignore it — it’s not your problem.
Answer: A
The wheelchair bay is for wheelchair users, full stop. Ask politely but firmly if the pushchair can be folded. Most parents will cooperate if you explain why. If they refuse and there’s no wheelchair user waiting, use your discretion, but the moment a wheelchair user needs that space, the pushchair has to move or the parent will need to wait for another bus. It’s about fairness, not being difficult.
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11. You smell alcohol on a passenger who is now singing loudly and stumbling down the aisle while you’re driving. The bus is half full. What do you do first?
A. Stop the bus abruptly and tell them to get off.
B. Pull over when it’s safe, then approach them calmly and ask them to sit down for their own safety.
C. Call the police before doing anything else.
D. Open the doors and hope they leave.
Answer: B
Your immediate concern is safety: a falling passenger can injure others or distract you. Pull in safely, keep your tone neutral, and tell them they must remain seated. If they refuse or become aggressive, that’s when you contact control and, if necessary, the police. Don’t issue an ultimatum you can’t enforce, and never start driving again with an unsteady person on their feet.
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12. You’re navigating roadworks with temporary traffic lights. The light has just turned red, but a following cement truck is closing in fast behind you. What’s your thought process?
A. Speed through the red light to avoid being rear-ended.
B. Stop at the red light as usual, but tap your brake lights repeatedly to attract attention.
C. Stop at the red light but keep your foot on the brake and watch your mirrors.
D. Sound your horn, flash your hazards, and proceed slowly.
Answer: C
You must stop at the red light; running it risks a head-on collision in a single-lane works zone. The real threat is behind you. Keep your brake lights lit, watch your mirror, and if it looks like the truck won’t stop, be ready to release the brake and move forward into whatever space is available — even mounting a kerb if necessary — to absorb the impact at an angle. Brake-tapping is sensible but only if the truck is far enough back to react.
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13. As you’re about to move off from a bus stop, a child drops a small toy out of their bag. It rolls under the front of the bus. The parent looks distressed. What do you do?
A. Instruct the parent to retrieve it quickly while you keep the doors open.
B. Set the handbrake, switch off the engine, and tell the parent you’ll get it once the bus is safe.
C. Move the bus forward half a metre so they can reach it.
D. Tell them you can’t help and drive away slowly.
Answer: B
Never let anyone, especially a child, reach under or in front of a bus with its engine running. Shut down, secure the vehicle, and retrieve the toy yourself or guide the parent to it only when the bus is completely stationary and the hazard lights are on. Even a small rollback can be catastrophic. It feels like a small thing, but those are the moments that matter most.
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14. A passenger taps their card and the reader beeps red “declined.” They insist the fare was deducted and show you a banking app with a pending transaction. You’re running late. How do you handle it?
A. Let them ride for free — it’s not worth the argument.
B. Firmly tell them to get off and sort it out with the bank.
C. Explain that the system is the final word and offer them the chance to pay by another method, but make it clear you’ll have to ask them to leave if they can’t.
D. Shout for a manager.
Answer: C
Pending transactions can appear for all kinds of reasons — some cards work on a delayed settlement. Be polite but stick to your training: if the terminal says no, you can’t accept the fare that way. Offer alternatives (another card, cash, a mobile ticket if available). If they can’t pay, they can’t travel, but how you say that matters. A calm, “I understand your frustration, here’s what I can do” keeps the bus moving and your blood pressure down.
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15. You’re driving in torrential rain on a dual carriageway. Visibility drops so much that road markings vanish. What’s the safest speed adjustment?
A. Maintain the speed limit and turn on full beams.
B. Reduce speed significantly, use dipped headlights, and increase your following distance to at least four seconds.
C. Pull onto the hard shoulder and wait it out, regardless of location.
D. Match the speed of the vehicle in front so you can follow its tail lights.
Answer: B
Full beams in heavy rain reflect off the water and blind you further. Dipped headlights, front and rear fog lights if visibility is under 100 metres, and a major drop in speed give you time to react. Don’t follow another vehicle’s lights — you inherit their mistakes. Only use the hard shoulder in an emergency; pulling over there in low visibility can create a new hazard. If it gets truly impossible, leave at the next exit or find a safe place off the main carriageway.
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🏁 Ending Statement
Mastering these scenarios requires a deep mental and physical kinetic audit of how you handle a multi-ton vehicle under pressure. Tracking your scoring trends provides a clear movement metric of your professional growth, helping you transition smoothly from a rookie trainee to a seasoned operator. By conducting this internal vitality scan of your situational judgment, you ensure your safety habits are fully locked in before your first official route.
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