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The reference work for the bus driving licence: licence categories and code 95, driving/rest times, dimensions and axle loads, stopping distance, passenger safety and departure checks — explained so it can be used day to day.
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Become a bus driverGet started · 5 minAs a bus driver you carry people safely to their destination — in a city bus, regional coach or tourist coach. It is a trade with steady work, responsibility and a short, structured way in: a bus licence (cat. D), basic qualification and Code 95. Here is why you should consider it.Bus driving licence — D1 vs. D explainedBackground · 10 minD1 is the small bus (no more than 16 people, length no more than 8 m), D is the large bus (more than 8 seats, gross weight over 3,500 kg). Here are the differences in age, requirements and endorsements.How to become a bus driver in DenmarkBackground · 6 minThe professional route runs from a car licence, through a bus licence and an initial qualification, to code 95 on your licence. Here are the steps and the requirements along the way.Driver qualification card & code 95Background · 10 minThe professional driver qualification (code 95) is obtained through an initial qualification and maintained with 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years. Here are the rules and the validity.EU driving and rest time for busesBackground · 13 minRegulation (EC) 561/2006 sets the limits: a break after 4.5 h, daily driving time 9 h, weekly 56 h and daily rest 11 h. Here are the rules and the most important exceptions.Bus dimensions, weight & axle loadBackground · 12 minThe Dimensions Order sets limits for width (2.55 m), height (4.10 m for buses), length and axle load. Here are the key figures — and which ones you need to look up precisely.The bus's stopping distance — the physics behind itMeasurement · 12 minThe stopping distance is the reaction distance plus the braking distance. The reaction distance grows linearly with speed, but the braking distance grows with the square — which is why it quadruples when the speed doubles.Load distribution & axle pressure in practiceMeasurement · 10 minThe weight is distributed across the front and rear axle according to the position of the centre of gravity. Here's how to calculate the distribution — and stay under the axle-load limits.Pre-departure check of the bus — checklistChecklist · 10 minA fixed checklist for the daily pre-departure inspection: tyres, lights, brakes, emergency equipment, doors and documents — so the bus is safe before it rolls.Qualification certificate overview — templateTemplate · 4 minA template for keeping track of the four important expiry dates: driving licence, code 95, medical certificate and first aid — so nothing expires unexpectedly.Passenger safety & evacuation — checklistChecklist · 5 minA checklist for passenger safety: emergency equipment and emergency exits, securing of wheelchairs, standing places and safe boarding and alighting.Tachograph — the speed recorder on the busBackground · 12 minThe tachograph (tachometer) is the bus's black box: it records driving time, breaks, rest and speed and is used by the authorities for inspection. Here are the rules, cards and errors that cost fines.Medical certificate & health requirements for bus driverBackground · 11 minA bus driver must have a medical certificate — a health approval for bus driving. Here are the central requirements for vision, health status and renewal.Driving/Rest time: plan a long driving day correctlyMeasurement · 8 minThree worked-through examples of typical driving days — city bus long-distance driving and two days in a row — with concrete breaks and rest required per regulation 561/2006Accessibility: lift, ramp and wheelchair usersBackground · 12 minTransport of mobility-impaired passengers requires special knowledge and care. Here lift/ramp 4-point fastening communication and what disability awareness training covers are coveredNew EU driver's license directive adopted – what does it mean for bus drivers?Background · 5 minIn October 2025, the EU adopted a new, modernised driving licence directive. The most important news for bus drivers: 21-year-olds can drive cat. D if they have code 95. But the rules take effect at the earliest in 2029.Typical errors and penalty reasons — bus driverBackground · 6 minFrom missing tachograph card to exceeded daily driving time and incorrect fastening: here are the errors that most often result in fines or loss of license — and the simple practice that prevents them.Bus driving in Denmark — from route bus to regulated tradeThe craft's history · 7 minThe bus driver trade has evolved from free route bus operations to a profession governed by driving licence categories, compulsory Driver CPC training and common EU rules for driving and rest time. Here we follow the tracks that can be documented in legislation and government sources — from the driving licence directive's categories to the qualification certificate (code 95) and regulation 561/2006.Energy-efficient and defensive drivingDriving technique · 12 minFuel-efficient and defensive driving is a compulsory core subject in both basic qualification and periodic training. Here's the technique: anticipatory driving, correct gear selection, use of engine brake and retarder, control of idle speed — and why it both saves fuel, tyres and brakes and makes the journey safer for passengers.Conflict management, customer service and violence against the driverWork environment · 12 minThe bus driver is often alone with passengers and is a vulnerable occupational group for threats and violence. Here is the preventive and defensive part of the trade: good customer service as conflict prevention, signs of escalation, concrete conflict management technique, when you should NOT intervene — and the company's duty under occupational health regulations.Bus braking systemBackground · 13 minA heavy bus brakes with compressed air, not hydraulics. Here's how the system is built: two independent brake circuits, the fail-safe spring brake, ABS and EBS, the wear-free retarder and engine brake — and why they together keep the bus safe on the long descent, where the service brake would otherwise overheat.Driver's working environmentWork environment · 12 minBus drivers have high rates of back problems, one-sided sedentary work and stress from schedules and traffic. Here are the three major strains — seating/ergonomics, whole-body vibration and mental work environment — with the Danish Working Environment Authority's action and limit values for vibration and the concrete things you and your employer can do.Environmental zones, Euro norms and electric busesEnvironment · 13 minDanish environmental zones set requirements for bus Euro standards and particle filters, and the electrification of public transport is changing the trade. Here are the rules for heavy diesel buses in environmental zones, what the Euro standards mean, and what electric and hybrid buses require of the driver — incl. high voltage safety.Manoeuvring, blind spots and positioningDriving technique · 13 minPositioning, turning and reversing a 12–18.75 m bus safely past cyclists and pedestrians is a daily risk. Here are mirror adjustment, blind spots, right-turn technique, rear swing and the now mandatory assistance systems (blind spot and manoeuvring alert) under EU's General Safety Regulation.Tourist driving & international bus drivingBackground · 12 minDriving coach and hire transport across borders requires more than a licence and code 95. Here is market access: the community permit (EU permit), the difference between regular and occasional services, the waybill, the Interbus agreement and cabotage rules.Ticketing, fares & RejsekortBackground · 11 minTicket sales, Rejsekort with check-in/out, zoning and fare system, concessionary and school cards and inspection fill a large part of the working day in public transport. Here is the system — with the important note that specific fares and rules are set by each transit company.First aid for accident and acute illness on boardBackground · 12 minA first aid certificate is a requirement for a bus driver's licence — but what must you be able to do when an accident happens? Here are the four steps in first aid, life-saving first aid for unconsciousness and cardiac arrest, use of defibrillator, stopping bleeding and calling for help, adapted for the situation with many passengers on a bus.Flex traffic & individual disability drivingBackground · 11 minFlex routes and individual, authorised paratransit are a separate service type with their own requirements: authorisation, care for vulnerable passengers, confidentiality, documentation and door-to-door service. Here is what distinguishes it from the ordinary accessible route bus.Driving under difficult weather and road conditionsDriving technique · 11 minA tall, heavy bus is especially vulnerable in slippery conditions, fog, strong crosswind and rain. Here is the complete driving technique: adapted speed and distance, soft control, fog lamp rules, crosswind's grip on a high bus side, aquaplaning and driving with reduced visibility.