Energy-efficient and defensive driving

Energy-efficient driving (eco-driving) and defensive driving are two sides of the same coin: you drive so that the bus uses the least energy and at the same time is as predictable as possible in traffic. It is not about driving slowly — it is about driving smoothly, with foresight and with as few unnecessary accelerations and braking as possible. The subject is not optional: rational driving based on safety rules is the first and heaviest subject area in the basic qualification's annex I (directive (EU) 2022/2561), and it is repeated in continued training every 5 years.

A bus that drives smoothly uses less fuel (or less power on an electric bus), wears less on tyres, clutch and brakes, and provides a far more pleasant ride for passengers — fewer people thrown back and forth, fewer who fall. At the same time, the defensive part is pure traffic safety: the further ahead you read the traffic, the less often you end up in a hard braking. The two goals pull the same way, and that's why they are learned together.

• 01Fuel/energy — the largest single item that the driver can directly influence day by day.
• 02Wear — brakes, tyres, clutch and transmission last longer with smooth driving.
• 03Comfort — standing passengers in a city bus feel every hard acceleration and braking.
• 04Safety — anticipatory driving provides time to react and reduces the number of emergency stops.
• 05Environment — each litre of diesel saved is less CO2 and fewer particles, particularly relevant in environmental zones.

The core of both defensive and energy-efficient driving is to move your gaze far ahead. If you see a red light, a queue or a stop in good time, you can ease off the accelerator and let the bus coast forward to the point instead of holding speed and braking hard at the last moment. A heavy bus has great movement energy — that energy is already paid for with fuel, and every time you brake it away you throw it away as heat in the brakes. If you coast forward instead, you reuse the energy.

• 01Look at least 12-15 seconds ahead in urban traffic and further on country roads — not just at the car in front.
• 02Release the accelerator early before traffic lights, stops and queues, and let the bus roll.
• 03Avoid accelerating towards an obstacle you'll have to brake for anyway.
• 04Keep even distance — the one right behind the tow vehicle is forced to constantly speed up and brake.

The engine is most efficient in a band of moderate revolutions — the so-called green area on the rev counter, often around the band where the engine produces the most torque. If you constantly drive at high revolutions, you burn fuel without getting corresponding speed. Therefore change up early and let the engine pull at low revolutions when you accelerate. Most modern buses have automatic or automated manual transmission that selects itself — but your driving style still controls when the gearbox shifts: a gentle throttle foot gives early upshifts, a hard foot gives late, fuel-consuming shifts.