Theory Mastery

Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

What the exam asks here: Most students immediately say 'yes' for an ordinary regional bus, but hesitate as soon as it is a touring coach, or as soon as the same situation happens outside the built-up area.

14 minutes · 7 sections · 12 questions

The trap

Many learners think: The rule to give way to a bus pulling away applies everywhere, even outside the built-up area.

The rule is: The rule explicitly applies only within the built-up area. Outside the built-up area you do not need to give way to a bus pulling away

Challenge

Most students immediately say 'yes' for an ordinary regional bus, but hesitate as soon as it is a touring coach, or as soon as the same situation happens outside the built-up area. The CBR exam designer tests exactly those two edges: WHICH vehicle counts as a 'bus', and WHERE the rule actually applies.

Read this section on its own page: Challenge: Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

The model

Within the built-up area you must give way to a bus pulling away (Book p.92) — this applies to all buses, including touring coaches, but not to small local shuttle buses. Outside the built-up area the rule does not apply. At a tram stop without a refuge island (Book p.93) you are required to give way to crossing passengers. And a bus gate (Book p.93) may only be crossed by buses — a car gets stuck there.

Read this section on its own page: The model: Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

Core

The bus-stop rule (Book p.92) has three parts you must remember separately. First: it concerns a bus that INDICATES it wants to pull away, not a bus that is already stopped to let passengers get on or off. Second: 'all buses' is meant literally — a touring coach on a school trip counts just as much as an ordinary regional bus, but a small local shuttle bus is named as an exception. Third: the rule is tied to the built-up area — outside it, for example on a provincial road, you do not need to give way to a bus pulling away. The tram-stop rule (Book p.93) is narrower: only at a stop WITHOUT a refuge island or platform are you required to give way to crossing passengers. The book itself calls this a situation that has 'almost disappeared', since most tram stops nowadays do have a refuge island — but where one is missing, the duty still applies. The bus gate (Book p.93) is not a priority rule but a physical/legal closure: only buses may and can pass through it. A car that tries to enter anyway gets irrevocably stuck.

Read this section on its own page: Core: Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

Why it matters

A bus pulling away from a stop has little room to accelerate and no view of what is happening right behind it; failing to give way forces the driver into an emergency stop with standing passengers. At a tram stop without a refuge island, people step from the tram straight onto the carriageway — exactly the situation where a driver's one second of hesitation makes the difference. And a car that gets stuck in a bus gate, for instance during rush hour in Delft, blocks not only itself but every bus that wants to enter the gate after it.

Read this section on its own page: Why it matters: Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

Active recall

Within the built-up area in Katwijk you are driving behind a large touring coach that is signalling at the bus stop to pull away. What do you do?

Read this section on its own page: Active recall: Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

Teach back

Explain: which three vehicles/situations are explicitly excepted from the bus-stop, tram-stop, and bus-gate rules, and why do those exceptions exist?

Read this section on its own page: Teach back: Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

Memory hook

Built-up area: give way to a bus pulling away, touring coaches too, not local shuttle buses. Tram stop without a refuge island: passengers first. Bus gate: buses only.

Read this section on its own page: Memory hook: Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate

Source: RVV 1990 art. 5 · checked 2026-10-22

The picture

Bus stop, tram stop without a platform, and bus gate: three different priority dutiesBus stop (p.92)Tram stop without refuge island (p.93)Who must you give way toa bus pulling away (touring coaches too)crossing tram passengersWhere it appliesonly within the built-up areaonly at a stop without a refuge island/platformExceptionsmall local shuttle buses do not countnone — nearly obsolete nowadays
What to look at: Bus stop built-up area: all buses incl. touring coaches, not local shuttle buses. Tram stop without refuge island: mandatory priority for crossing passengers. Bus gate: buses only, a car gets stuck.

Signs and law

Test yourself

On a quiet morning in Katwijk, within the built-up area, you approach a service bus from behind that is signalling left at the bus stop to pull away again. Must you give way to it?

Show the answer

Within the built-up area you must give way to a bus pulling away (Book p.92) — this applies to all buses, including touring coaches, but not to small local shuttle buses. Outside the built-up area the rule does not apply. At a tram stop without a refuge island (Book p.93) you are required to give way to crossing passengers. And a bus gate (Book p.93) may only be crossed by buses — a car gets stuck there.

Exam questions on this topic

Watch the muted ~5 s clip: you pass a bus stop in a built-up area. Tap HAZARD! the moment you see the hazard develop, then choose what you do at the frozen frame: brake, release the accelerator or nothing?

Hazard perception: a bus pulling away from the stop (RVV 1990 art. 78).
Watch the clip · The clip plays here as an animated image; the real hazard-perception test with tapping at the right moment is in the app.
  1. Brake
  2. Release the accelerator
  3. Nothing
Show the answer

Correct answer: Brake

Correct choice: brake — a bus pulling away from the stop (3.2 m away, ~4.0 s to contact) is in your path; releasing the accelerator or doing nothing leaves too little room.

Why learners get this wrong: Releasing the accelerator is not enough here: a bus pulling away from the stop — 3.2 m away, ~4.0 s to contact. Only braking keeps you clear of the hazard (stop within the distance you can see to be clear).

Open this question

Within the built-up area in Katwijk you are driving behind a large touring coach that is signalling at the bus stop to pull away. What do you do?

  1. I give way to the touring coach, just as I would to an ordinary regional bus
  2. I drive on, the rule only applies to ordinary public-transport service buses
Show the answer

Correct answer: I give way to the touring coach, just as I would to an ordinary regional bus

Explicitly names 'all buses, including touring coaches'; only local shuttle buses are excepted.

Why learners get this wrong: The bus-stop priority rule only applies to regular public-transport service buses, not to touring coaches.

Open this question

The text explicitly names 'all buses, including touring coaches'.

  1. False
  2. True
Show the answer

Correct answer: True

The text explicitly names 'all buses, including touring coaches'. Only small local shuttle buses fall outside it

Why learners get this wrong: The bus-stop priority rule only applies to regular public-transport service buses, not to touring coaches.

Open this question

About Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate: which statements are correct? (multiple answers possible)

  1. The text explicitly names 'all buses, including touring coaches'.
  2. The rule explicitly applies only within the built-up area.
  3. You may drive a car through a bus gate if there is no bus in sight at that moment.
  4. As long as the bus at the stop is still standing, you may drive on, even when it is already indicating to pull out.
Show the answer

Correct answer: The text explicitly names 'all buses, including touring coaches'.; The rule explicitly applies only within the built-up area.

The bus is already signalling that it wants to pull away — that is the moment you give way

Why learners get this wrong: You may drive a car through a bus gate if there is no bus in sight at that moment.

Open this question

About Letting a bus pull away, a tram stop without a platform, and the bus gate: which statement is WRONG?

  1. The rule explicitly applies only within the built-up area.
  2. Signalling announces, it gives no priority; only a bus inside a built-up area that wants to pull away is let go first, a small minibus is not.
  3. The text explicitly names 'all buses, including touring coaches'.
  4. At every tram stop you must give way to crossing passengers, regardless of whether there is a refuge island or platform.
Show the answer

Correct answer: At every tram stop you must give way to crossing passengers, regardless of whether there is a refuge island or platform.

The obligation applies specifically to a tram stop WITHOUT a refuge island/platform; the book itself calls this a rare situation. At a stop with a refuge island, passengers already cross safely before reaching the carriageway

Why learners get this wrong: The rule to give way to a bus pulling away applies everywhere, even outside the built-up area.

Open this question

The obligation applies specifically to a tram stop WITHOUT a refuge island/platform; the book itself calls this a rare situation.

  1. False
  2. True
Show the answer

Correct answer: True

The obligation applies specifically to a tram stop WITHOUT a refuge island/platform; the book itself calls this a rare situation. At a stop with a refuge island, passengers already cross safely before reaching the carriageway

Why learners get this wrong: At every tram stop you must give way to crossing passengers, regardless of whether there is a refuge island or platform.

Open this question

Within the built-up area in Katwijk you approach a touring coach from behind that is signalling at the bus stop to pull away. What do you do?

  1. I give way to the touring coach
  2. I drive on, the rule only applies to ordinary regional buses
  3. I drive on, because the bus is still stationary
Show the answer

Correct answer: I give way to the touring coach

Why learners get this wrong: The bus-stop priority rule only applies to regular public-transport service buses, not to touring coaches.

Open this question

Statement: on a provincial road outside the built-up area you must also always give way to a bus pulling away from a stop.

  1. True
  2. False
Show the answer

Correct answer: False

Why learners get this wrong: The rule to give way to a bus pulling away applies everywhere, even outside the built-up area.

Open this question

Inside the built-up area in Rhenen you drive past a stop. A small neighbourhood minibus there switches on its indicator to pull away. What do you do?

  1. I may drive on; the bus rule does not apply to a minibus
  2. I let it go first; that applies to every bus in a built-up area
  3. I let it go first, because it is already signalling
Show the answer

Correct answer: I may drive on; the bus rule does not apply to a minibus

False — you overlook the exception. Inside a built-up area you let a bus pulling away go first, a coach too, but not a small neighbourhood minibus

Why learners get this wrong: You must also give way to a small local shuttle bus when it pulls away from a stop.

Open this question

Which statements about the bus stop, tram stop, and bus gate are correct? (multiple answers possible)

  1. You may drive a car through a bus gate if there is no bus in sight
  2. Within the built-up area you give way to a bus pulling away, touring coaches too
  3. Small local shuttle buses are excepted from the bus-stop priority rule
  4. At a tram stop WITH a refuge island the same mandatory priority applies as without one
Show the answer

Correct answer: Within the built-up area you give way to a bus pulling away, touring coaches too; Small local shuttle buses are excepted from the bus-stop priority rule

Why learners get this wrong: You may drive a car through a bus gate if there is no bus in sight at that moment.

Open this question

All practice questions of this topic

Frequently asked questions

‘The rule to give way to a bus pulling away applies everywhere, even outside the built-up area’ – is that true?

No. The rule explicitly applies only within the built-up area. Outside the built-up area you do not need to give way to a bus pulling away

‘The bus-stop priority rule only applies to regular public-transport service buses, not to touring coaches’ – is that true?

No. The text explicitly names 'all buses, including touring coaches'. Only small local shuttle buses fall outside it

‘You must also give way to a small local shuttle bus when it pulls away from a stop’ – is that true?

No. The rule applies to all buses 'but not for example small local shuttle buses'. This is an explicitly named exception

‘At every tram stop you must give way to crossing passengers, regardless of whether there is a refuge island or platform’ – is that true?

No. The obligation applies specifically to a tram stop WITHOUT a refuge island/platform; the book itself calls this a rare situation. At a stop with a refuge island, passengers already cross safely before reaching the carriageway

‘You may drive a car through a bus gate if there is no bus in sight at that moment’ – is that true?

No. A bus gate may only be crossed by buses. A car gets irrevocably stuck there, regardless of whether a bus happens to be approaching

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