To provide helpful suggestions to bus companies regarding reducing the number of bus accidents and improving public transportation safety, we further researched the relationship between driving skills and driving behaviors; bus drivers from six bus companies of the Hefei Bus Group were investigated. The reliability and validity of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire, the Driver Skill Inventory, and 287 valid questionnaires were tested; the relationships between the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire and Driver Skill Inventory factors were explored; and their influence on traffic accidents was analyzed by structural equation modeling. Significant positive associations were found between driving experience and safety motive, whereas negative relationships were found between errors and safety motive. Safety motive has a negative effect on violations, and violations are the most important factor leading to traffic accidents. Therefore, bus companies should enhance safety education, and interventions should not only directly relate to the involvement of bus drivers in traffic accidents but also consider the role played by violations.

Professional drivers constitute an important group of drivers who shoulder the responsibility of safely transporting passengers and cargo. Bus drivers and taxi drivers are an important part of the urban public transport system, and their driving safety affects road traffic safety. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the differences between bus drivers and taxi drivers in their driving behaviors and driving skills and to predict their traffic accident involvement based on these behaviors and skills. We conducted a field survey of 274 bus drivers and 178 taxi drivers in Hefei, China. The results revealed significant differences between bus drivers and taxi drivers in terms of violations, lack of concentration and technical driving skills. Aggression and violations had significant predictive effects on bus drivers’ traffic accident involvement, and memory lapses and a lack of safety consciousness had significant predictive effects on taxi drivers’ accident involvement.