Ensuring bus drivers’ health critical for passengers’ safety

A 42-year-old man suffered a heart attack while driving a bus in Beijing on Aug 16, but even in the final moments of his life he showed amazing sense of responsibility, as he slowed down and pulled over the vehicle and applied the handbrake, saving the lives of the passengers.

There have been several such instances of bus drivers keeping passengers safe even as they died while driving. For example, a bus driver in Guang’an, Sichuan province, managed to bring the bus he was driving to a stop on July 18, saving the lives of the 16 passengers on board and nearby pedestrians before dying.

On April 3, a bus driver in Chenzhou, Hunan province, pulled over the vehicle before passing out, ensuring the safety of the 27 passengers in the vehicle.

While paying tributes to these heroic drivers, we also need to consider how to take better care of the physical and mental health of bus drivers. There are about 1 million bus drivers in China who together undertake 190 million trips every day, which means the safety of millions of passengers hinges on the drivers’ physical and mental health.

In recent years, during the “two sessions” of China’s top legislature and political advisory body, some delegates and members have proposed that benefits be extended to the bus drivers so they can take better care of their physical and mental health. At this year’s two sessions, a proposal sought two compulsory physical examinations a year and more health counseling for public transport drivers.

Although many regions offer regular physical examination for bus drivers, some transport companies have no clear standards in this regard.

We should adhere to strict standards and put in place a system of compulsory physical examination, the way civil aviation and railway systems do for the pilots and drivers. For example, every region should establish physical examination standards, management rules for physical examination certificates, and methods for physical examination appraisal files for bus drivers, and issue relevant operational guidelines, so that the physical examination of bus drivers does not become just an occupational welfare; it should also guarantee public safety.

A lot needs to be done to strengthen the management of bus drivers’ physical and mental health and build a “dam” of traffic safety, including offering incentives, work support, and guarantee of medical treatment.