STATUTORY DRIVING AND REST TIMES FOR BUS DRIVERS
The regulations on driving and working times for drivers are intended to improve road safety and ensure good working conditions for everyone.
In Europe, Regulation (EC) No 1258/2024 lays down rules on maximum daily and weekly driving times and daily and weekly rest periods.
These rules apply to all drivers of passenger vehicles.
Bus drivers must comply with driving times and rest periods.
In Europe, it is a legal requirement that certain professional drivers must comply with driving times and rest periods. Bus drivers have a special responsibility in this respect, as they transport several people on the road at the same time.
The purpose of taking breaks or rest periods is to prevent bus drivers from driving a vehicle while overtired and thus endangering passengers and other road users or causing an accident. But what regulations apply to driving and rest periods on buses?
According to the Driving Personnel Ordinance (FPersV), drivers who transport more than nine people in a vehicle must also adhere to driving and rest times. Breaks are also compulsory for bus drivers.
Driving times for bus drivers: How long can you drive a bus?
With regard to bus driving times, a basic distinction is made between daily and weekly driving times.
Are driving times for bus drivers the same as driving times?
Driving time is not only the driving time, but also the waiting time spent at traffic lights, junctions, railway crossings or in traffic jams, for example.
Daily driving time: The daily driving time may not exceed nine hours. However, this can be increased to ten hours twice a day.
Weekly driving time: The maximum weekly driving time is 56 hours. Furthermore, the weekly driving time should not exceed 90 hours in two consecutive weeks.
Driving times for coach drivers vs. driving times for bus drivers on scheduled services: Bus drivers must adhere to legally stipulated driving times, regardless of whether they are driving a scheduled service bus or a coach.
Rest periods: When the bus must be stopped
What driving and rest periods apply to bus drivers on scheduled services?
Bus drivers are also obliged to observe rest periods. They are not allowed to spend their breaks in the passenger seat. If there is no sleeping cabin in the vehicle, the rest period must be spent outside the bus. Here too, a distinction is made between daily and weekly rest periods.
The daily rest period must be at least eleven hours. However, this can be reduced to nine hours three times a week.
Bus drivers must also observe a weekly rest period of 45 hours. This can be reduced to 24 hours, but the regular weekly rest period must be observed in the week before and after.
During the rest period, it is not only forbidden to drive the bus, but also to carry out other professional activities. This means that on-call duty does not count as a rest period either.
Break regulations for bus drivers
Bus drivers are also obliged to take breaks. However, the break is not regarded as a rest period, but as an interruption to the driving time. After 4.5 hours of driving time, bus drivers must take a 45-minute break from driving.
However, this can also be split up. In this case, the first break must last 15 minutes and the following break 30 minutes. The total of 45 minutes is still not exceeded. However, after 4.5 hours of driving, bus drivers must always take a 45-minute break.
This 45-minute driving break can now be organised more flexibly. It may now be divided into two driving breaks of at least 15 minutes each, as long as the total duration of the divided driving breaks after 4 ½ hours is not less than 45 minutes. This means that various combinations of splits such as 15/30, 20/25, 30/15 etc. will be permitted in future.
Driving and rest times on buses: are there differences between scheduled and coach services?
When it comes to driving times and rest periods by coach, it should be noted that the same rules apply in principle to coach drivers as to bus drivers on scheduled services. The only difference is that coach drivers must also comply with the 12-day rule.
What is the 12-day rule for bus drivers?
The 12-day rule applies if the journey is at least 24 hours long, which is usually the case when travelling abroad. Bus drivers are only allowed to take their first long break after 12 days. The following regulations must be observed:
A bus driver may only undertake a 12-day journey if he has taken a regular rest period of 45 hours in the previous week.
The normal driving and rest periods must be fully observed by the bus driver during this journey.
Compliance with the driving and rest periods on the bus must be documented using a digital recording device.
If the bus is also driven at night (10 pm to 6 am), the bus driver must be assisted by a second driver so that they can take turns. If this is not the case, a break in driving time must take place after just three hours.
The 12-day rule will also apply to domestic journeys from 1 January 2025. However, it remains unchanged that this is only permitted when travelling with a single group and on condition of a minimum 45-hour weekly rest period beforehand and a minimum 69-hour rest period afterwards.
Daily rest period for 6/8-day coach journeys:
To postpone the start of the daily rest period by one hour once for a 6-day journey with a single group of travellers or to postpone the start of the daily rest period by one hour twice for a journey lasting at least 8 days, provided that the total accumulated driving time does not exceed 7 hours on the days in question. This would allow the coach to depart with the group at 8:00 a.m., for example, and, if the driving time on that day does not exceed 7 hours for various excursion destinations, to return to the hotel by midnight (previously this was required by 11:00 p.m. at the latest).
