A Study on the Differences in Driving Skills of Chinese Bus and Taxi Drivers

Abstract

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.

Preliminary driving style classification of the professional drivers

“…The results of the research presented in work [1] confirm the weak correlation between the driver's experience and the values of acceleration. The correlation studies presented in [1,16,39] show that the experience of a city bus driver does not significantly influence the number of traffic violations, accidents and dangerous situations on the road.…”

“…Fatigue results (both general and work-induced) translated into the higher rates of risky driving behaviour. The results of the analysis of the drivers' binary personality traits presented in [39] show that the average annual mileage is significantly positively correlated with aggression. Bus drivers can be bored and apathetic due to the fixed routes, as well as long hours, long-distance and repetitive work.…”

Driver Factors in Bus Accident: A Systematic Review

“…(Anund et al, 2010) Yes Anund et al Yes Yes Yes Anund et al (Anund et al, 2018) Yes Asaoka et al (Asaoka et al, 2012) Yes Yes Yes Barua and Tay (Barua and Tay, 2010) Yes Yusoff et al (Mohd Yusoff et al, 2010) Yes Yes Yes Zhang and Chan (T. Zhang and Chan, 2014) Yes Yes Yes Yes Zhang et al (Z. Zhang et al, 2019) Yes Yes Zheng et al (Zheng et al, 2019) Yes Yes Yes Yes…”

A field study of mental workload: conventional bus drivers versus bus rapid transit drivers

“…Road safety is important in public transport systems, as millions of passengers, especially in developing countries, use the conventional transportation system to commute (Z. Zhang et al 2019). Several research studies refer to contributing factors causing both the frequency and severity of road accidents and also MWL.…”