Exploring sleepiness and stress among London bus drivers: An on-road observational study.

Bus driver sleepiness is commonplace but often goes unreported within the industry. Whilst past research has begun to shed a light on the prevalence, potential causes, and consequences of bus driver sleepiness, this is often done using self-report methods. This is the first study to investigate sleepiness amongst city bus drivers on-road using a live bus route with drivers' regular schedules. A total of 16 participants completed two drives of their regular bus route once during an early morning shift and once during a daytime shift whilst physiological and self-report measures of sleep and stress were taken. Prior to these drives, drivers recorded their sleep in a diary and wore an actigraph to obtain objective sleep measures. Results showed that most drivers did not obtain sufficient sleep prior to early morning shifts, and often did not obtain as much sleep as they would need in order to feel rested before work. Sleepiness and stress were observed in both shifts. During early morning shifts sleepiness was likely a result of working during circadian lows and not obtaining enough sleep prior to the shift. In contrast, sleepiness during the daytime shift was likely a result of completing a highly demanding task in complex traffic which not only contributed to fatigue, but also led to increased levels of stress. As well as demonstrating the prevalence of sleepiness amongst bus drivers, these findings show that the causes of sleepiness can be multifaceted and often come about due to a combination of work and personal factors. In addition, the experience of sleepiness is not the same for all drivers, with individual differences in the experience of sleepiness playing a large role. These differences highlight the need for individualised interventions which should be considered by policymakers alongside the combination of causal factors within a larger systems approach.

Keeping the service running: Examining working relationships and workload of London bus network iBus controllers.

Bus controllers are an essential part of the London bus network. Although the bus driver is the individual directly in control of the vehicle, inputs from both the controller and driver influence operations. Currently, little research has focused on the dynamic between these parties, and how it works in the day-to-day operation of a bus. In the current study, data was collected across focus groups with controllers to understand the controller-driver relationship from the controller perspective. The objectives of the research were to: investigate interactions and working relationships between bus controllers and drivers in London and to explore the effect of controller/driver relationships on workload, stress and fatigue. It is clear that the working relationship between controllers and drivers is a challenging one, with both parties often misunderstanding the role of the other. This is made worse by the nature of communication via radio including poor quality audio leading to difficult interactions. All of the participating controllers expressed being overloaded with work, leading to feelings of stress and fatigue, with shift work and irregular hours being discussed as a cause of controller fatigue. Any steps taken to improve the difficult working relationship between drivers and controllers can be seen as beneficial because they could improve efficiency, worker wellbeing, and possibly safety.

Going underground: Fatigue and sleepiness in tunnelling operations.

This research represents one of the first qualitative studies to investigate fatigue in the tunnelling sector of the construction industry. It explores the opinions of tunnellers and their managers about how fatigue influences or is influenced by tunnelling, and how this is managed. Fatigue and sleepiness were discussed in six focus groups with frontline workers (n = 42) and 10 manager interviews. Fatigue was seen to be a problem, with all participants having experienced, or recognised in others, the feeling of sleepiness whilst at work. Fatigue and sleepiness are not commonly discussed between tunnelling workers and they do not feel comfortable reporting instances of fatigue. The research shows that workers in the tunnelling construction sector are exposed to a wide range of occupational factors that potentially increase their vulnerability to fatigue, including the physical environment, repetitive and monotonous tasks, variable shift patterns and manual work. Additionally, personal factors such as social and family demands, long commute times and living away from home, can increase the risk of fatigue. The construction industry in general has gone some way to address fatigue and there is opportunity to further improve fatigue management. However, a major shift is needed before workers will feel able to openly discuss fatigue with their employer.

Bus driver fatigue: A qualitative study of drivers in London.

The research represents one of the first major qualitative studies to subjectively investigate fatigue amongst city bus drivers. Funded by TfL (grant no. 94050), the study considers the perspectives of both the bus drivers themselves and their managers. It explores opinion specifically in relation to how fatigue influences or is influenced by bus driving, and how this is managed. Data was collected from focus groups with bus drivers (n = 65 drivers) and one-to-one interviews with bus driver managers (n = 11). Fatigue was seen to be a problem, with all drivers having experienced for themselves the feeling of sleepiness whilst driving the bus, or knowing about it in others. The managers agreed that fatigue amongst drivers is evident, seeing it particularly as a contributor to serious incidents. Fatigue and sleepiness are not discussed between drivers as a general rule and they do not feel comfortable reporting instances of fatigue for fear of being disciplined. Managers would encourage drivers to report these issues and therefore hoped to create a more open culture. Factors identified as contributors to fatigue included: working overtime, having insufficient sleep, spending time with family, other non-work commitments, shift schedules, and work pressure.