Passenger · Inspecting a Passenger Vehicle

During a bus interior check, a driver finds a passenger seat that is loose and no longer firmly attached to the floor. What does federal regulation require?

1.The bus may not be operated, because no bus may be operated if any seat in it is not securely fastened to the vehicleCorrect answer

2.The bus may be operated as long as that one loose seat is marked out of service and left completely empty of riders

3.The bus may be operated as long as the number of remaining secure seats is still at least the number of riders aboard

4.The bus may be operated, because seat mounting is a carrier maintenance item rather than a condition on operating the bus

Explanation

Federal regulation puts the entire bus out of service, not just the one loose seat. 49 CFR 393.91 states that no bus shall be operated if any seat in it is not securely fastened to the vehicle, which makes a loose seat a condition on operating the bus rather than a defect to work around. The same section also governs aisle seats, barring a bus from being equipped with them unless they are designed and installed to fold up automatically and leave a clear aisle when unoccupied, so neither a loose seat nor an obstructing aisle seat is something a driver may carry into service. The wrong options all try to keep the bus moving by containing the problem instead, whether by blocking off the seat, counting the good seats against the passenger load, or handing the mounting to the carrier, and all three miss that the prohibition runs against operating the bus, not against seating a rider in that particular seat.

Source: 49 CFR 393.91

Drill Inspecting a Passenger Vehicle questions

During a bus interior check, a driver finds a passenger seat that is loose and no longer firmly attached to the floor. What does federal regulation require?

Related Inspecting a Passenger Vehicle questions