been having a look online, but cant seem to find anything definate, so im hoping the stw massive can help.
with regards to the working time directive, is it true that there is supposed to be a minimum 11hrs rest period between shifts?
im a bus driver working under domestic (non eu) rules in the uk, my employer regularly schedules rest periods of 8.5hrs and i (among others) am not happy about it.
i have previously signed an opt out from the WTD, but i can easily opt back in by giving 3 weeks notice in writing.
also, i dont know if its relevant, but i live in scotland. 😀

All I can say on the matter that as a shift worker when the WTD came in we were all over the moon. Until that is, we read the very long list of excluded professions.

So my summary of the WTD is office workers who work 37.5 hours a week are covered (but don’t need to be), whereas those of us that work 12 hours a day every day for six months (as I have done many years, and certainly not by choice), or 36 hours straight (my shifts plus covering a shift in between), then wouldn’t you know it, we aren’t covered.

Your mileage may vary.

thats pretty much my experience too, bus drivers are excluded, supposed to be 10hr rest but can be reduced to 8.5 3 times a week.
its crap.

As Martymac says but I thought they were only excluded from EU Driver hours.Look here

stagecoach then.

yep.

Department For Transport Rules based on EU Law

Drivers’ hours rules: the basics

If you drive a lorry, van, bus or a coach, it is likely that you will need to follow rules on the number of hours you can drive in a day, week or other period. These rules also cover the breaks you will need to take from driving, and daily and weekly rest periods.

Research has shown that up to one in six of all serious crashes are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel. The aim of the drivers’ hours rules is to help you drive safely, and to reduce the risk of injuring yourself and other road users.

This guide is aimed at drivers of goods vehicles and passenger-carrying vehicles travelling within the UK and abroad. It explains the different drivers’ hours rules that may affect you, depending on what type of vehicle you are driving, what you are using it for, and where you are travelling.

The different sets of drivers’ hours rules, and when they apply

There are three main sets of drivers’ hours rules that are likely to affect you if you drive for a living. These are the European Union (EU) rules, the domestic GB rules, and the AETR rules. The AETR rules are now aligned with the EU rules, so all maximum driving times and limits and minimum break and rest times are the same in each set of rules.

AETR translates as the ‘European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews Engaged in International Road Transport’. The agreement relates to a group of 17 countries outside the EU, mainly in southern and eastern Europe.

See a map showing the EU, AETR and EEA countries – Opens in a new window.

Which rules apply to you

If you drive a goods vehicle or a passenger-carrying vehicle within Great Britain (GB), either the European Union (EU) or GB domestic drivers’ hours rules may apply.

For international journeys, you will have to work under:

• the EU rules, if you are driving to or through either an EU member state or a country within the European Economic Area (EEA)

• the AETR rules, if you drive to or through certain European countries that are outside the EU but have signed up to the AETR agreement

• a country’s own domestic drivers’ hours rules, if you are travelling within a country that isn’t covered by the EU or AETR rules

The set of rules that apply to you will depend on the type of driving, the type of vehicle being used and, in the case of international journeys, the countries you will visit. In some cases, you will be driving under more than one set of rules during a week, and sometimes even on the same day.

If you drive a goods vehicle, such as a van or a lorry, see drivers’ hours rules that apply to goods vehicles in this guide to find out which rules you will need to follow.

If you drive a passenger-carrying vehicle, including buses and coaches, see drivers’ hours rules that apply to passenger-carrying vehicles in this guide to find out which rules affect you.

Drivers’ hours rules that apply to goods vehicles

If you drive a van or a lorry, you can find out which drivers’ hours rules apply to you by answering this question.

Is the maximum permissible weight of your vehicle or vehicle combination more than 3.5 tonnes?

If you answered yes, and your vehicle:

• is used entirely within Great Britain (GB), your journey must follow EU rules – see European Union rules on drivers’ hours in this guide

• is not used entirely within the UK and will be operated between UK and other EU, European Economic Area (EEA) countries or Switzerland, your journey must follow EU rules – see European Union rules on drivers’ hours in this guide

• is not used entirely within the UK and will pass through an AETR country – your journey must follow AETR rules – see AETR rules on drivers’ hours in this guide for details of these rules, and a list of countries covered by the AETR agreement

• is not going through Great Britain, the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may need to contact the embassies of the countries that your vehicle will pass through

If you answered no to this question, and your vehicle:

• is used entirely within the UK, your journey must follow the GB domestic rules – see GB domestic rules on drivers’ hours in this guide

• is not used entirely within Great Britain, you may need to contact the embassies of the countries that your vehicle will pass through

See a map showing the EU, AETR and EEA countries.

Drivers’ hours rules that apply to passenger carrying vehicles

As a driver of a passenger carrying vehicle, the drivers hours’ rules that apply to you will depend on:

• the number of passenger seats

• the distance of your route

• whether you are operating a regular or non-regular service

• if you are travelling to or from another country

This table will help you decide which rules apply to passenger carrying vehicles.

The definition below will help you understand whether the service you operate counts as a ‘regular service’.

A regular service – which includes special regular services – is a service that carries passengers at specified intervals along a specified route, with passengers being picked up and set down at agreed stopping points. It does not have to be a service for the general public. It may be a service only for one kind of passenger, eg it may take children to and from school, or workers to and from work.

You should bear in mind that if a journey is taken to a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland, then the EU rules apply to the whole journey. See European Union rules on drivers’ hours in this guide.

If a journey is taken to or through a country defined by the European Agreement concerning the work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR), then AETR rules will apply to the whole journey. Vehicles with fewer than eight passenger seats travelling through other countries must follow the relevant domestic rules. See AETR rules on drivers’ hours in this guide.

See a map showing the EU, AETR and EEA countries.

European Union rules on drivers’ hours

The European Union (EU) drivers’ hours rules set limits for daily, weekly and fortnightly driving. The rules also specify minimum breaks for drivers during the working day, and daily and weekly rest periods.

The main points of the EU rules are:

• Daily driving must not exceed nine hours, although this may be extended to ten hours twice a week.

• Weekly driving must not exceed 56 hours.

• Fortnightly driving must not exceed 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks.

• Drivers must take breaks that total at least 45 minutes during or after a maximum of 4.5 hours of driving. The break can be split into two periods, one of at least 15 minutes followed by one of at least 30 minutes. You cannot split breaks into three periods of 15 minutes.

• Drivers must normally take at least 11 consecutive hours of daily rest. This can be reduced by up to two hours on no more than three occasions between any two weekly rest periods.

• Drivers may split their daily rest into two periods totaling 12 hours. If they do, the first period must be at least three hours and the second at least nine hours. You cannot split daily rest into more than two periods.

• Within six 24-hour periods from the end of their last weekly rest, drivers must extend their daily rest period into a weekly rest period. This may be either the regular 45-hour weekly rest or a reduced period of at least 24 hours.

• On 4 June 2010, the weekly rest requirement for drivers on international occasional coach journeys changed. The concession allows drivers on single international journeys to postpone their weekly rest period until the end of the twelfth day. It also requires the driver to take a regular 45 hour rest prior to the journey beginning, in addition to requiring at least one regular and one reduced weekly rest period back-to-back on the journey’s completion, which amounts to a minimum rest period of at least 69 hours.

For more information, see our guide on EU drivers’ hours rules.

As a Paramedic I am entitled to 11 hour minimum shift turn-around. If my shift over runs then I am entitled to come in late for my next shift.

yep, same for me, but its 8.5.
imo, it should be 11, for anyone, theres no NEED for a shorter turn around to be regularly scheduled, although i accept that unforeseen circumstances could make it necessary now and again.
and just so we are clear here, im not having a go at stagecoach, its all companies, my gripe is that the law allows it to happen.

contact your union,stagecoach has union reps as part of its buissness