When driving past a tram or bus stop without a passenger island that requires passengers to step onto the road, must the driver stop the vehicle so pedestrians can freely access the bus?

The question is about driving past a city public transport stop for trams and buses which has no passenger island, so passengers must step onto the roadway. You must stop your vehicle so as to ensure that pedestrians can freely reach the bus waiting at the stop. The answer is: yes.

The Road Traffic Act states that the driver of a vehicle is obliged to exercise particular caution when driving past a marked tram stop that is not located next to a footway; if the stop has no passenger island, and a tram is entering the stop or is standing at it, the driver is obliged to stop the vehicle at such a place and for such a time as to ensure that pedestrians can freely reach the tram or the footway - and these rules apply accordingly to the movement of other public transport vehicles. The last sentence extends the rule to buses: if a stop without an island serves trams and buses, and passengers must cross the roadway to reach the bus, you stop just as you would for a tram. You stop before the stop, not level with the vehicle's doors, and move off only when the passengers have got on or reached the pavement.

Legal basis: Art. 26 para. 6 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)