You would expect a bus driver to know the rules about bus lanes.
But a Huddersfield driving instructor has told of his shock after a bus driver wrongly accused him of illegally driving in a bus lane.
Longwood-based tutor Nigel Deans was involved in a road rage incident with a bus driver on Tuesday.
His pupil had been legitimately using the bus lane in Wakefield Road when a bus driver pulled alongside the young learner driver and hurled abuse at them for being in the lane.
The rules of the road say normal vehicles SHOULD use the bus lane when it is not restricted.
On the inbound Wakefield Road it is restricted from 7.30am to 9.30am from Waterloo on weekdays only.
Closer to town the restrictions are also in place from 4.30pm to 6.30pm and then become 24-hours-a-day at Aspley.
Mr Deans said his pupil was not breaking the rules and when he approached Huddersfield Bus Company he was told the driver had known that.
He said: “The bus stopped alongside us at which point the driver shouted that if I was intent on teaching my learners to drive in bus lanes it was about time I went back to be retrained.
“Ironically only that morning I had passed my Check Test.
“The way he spoke to me was extremely rude and very public in front of all his passengers.
“It was also quite intimidating for my learner.”
Mr Deans complained to the Waterloo-based company and said he was unhappy with their response.
He said: “They said the driver knew I was able to drive in that lane but he was running late and trying to keep to his timetable.
“The fact that he went out of the bus lane purely to have a go at me and my learner, I find that incomprehensible.”
A spokesman from Huddersfield Bus Company acknowledged the incident but would not confirm if the driver had been disciplined.
He said: “The driver will be dealt with how we see fit, within our internal systems.”
Mr Deans, who has been a driving instructor for 18 months, has now appealed for better knowledge of bus lane rules.
He said if motorists had a greater understanding of bus lane times then it would ease congestion around town.
He said: “The whole issue of bus lanes is quite confusing.
“They’re there to allow buses to keep to their timetables on bus routes at certain times.
“But outside of those times people need to realise the bus lane is just the normal left hand lane and it should be used.
“If we don’t utilise the full road space it causes congestion.”
Mr Deans also called for Kirklees Council’s Highways department to review its lanes as some may not be necessary.
“There’s a 24 hour bus lane but I’m not aware of any 24 hour bus services,” he added.
A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council said: “Bus lane hours of operation are designed to provide consistency for all drivers, help compliance and maintains the safety of road users.
“In some cases the hours of operation are varied to take into account of times of the day when delays occur or when there are specific kerbside requirements, possibly for local businesses.
“In the case of Aspley it was decided that it was safer to have fewer vehicles merging at this point so this lane is restricted to buses-only at all times.”