Bus driver incident report
When something happens on the road, the driver deals with the situation first and then notifies the office with a short report: what has happened, on which service and with which coach, a short description and, if it helps, a photo. The office receives it immediately, decides what to do and replies.
This is how the incident notice in Bus Center's driver portal works: breakdown, accident, delay, road or traffic, damage to the coach, passengers or other. Location is optional and the driver can refuse it. Here is what to record, how it reaches the office and who decides.
The road first; the report afterwards
Safety comes first, not the mobile phone. Spain's road traffic act (Ley sobre Tráfico, Circulación de Vehículos a Motor y Seguridad Vial), in its article 51, says that a road user who is involved in a traffic accident, witnesses it or learns of it is obliged to help or call for help for any victims, cooperate, avoid further danger or damage, restore road safety as far as possible and clarify the facts (our translation, in summary).
The same article adds that if, because of an accident or breakdown, the vehicle obstructs the carriageway, the driver, after signalling it properly, will take the necessary measures to have it removed in the shortest possible time (our translation, in summary). With the passengers safe and the coach signalled, it is time to notify the office.
What to put in the incident report
The report has to let the office decide without phoning ten times. In Bus Center's portal, the driver chooses what has happened from a closed list, writes a short description and, if they wish, attaches a photo. If the notice is about a service, the coach is that service's coach, with no need to type it.
For the description to be useful, it helps if it answers a few questions:
- What has happened and since when?
- Is anyone injured, or does any passenger need attention?
- Can the coach carry on, or is another one needed?
- What have you already done: signalled, called roadside assistance, told the passengers?
There is no need to write the time of the notice: the report is recorded with its date and time of creation. The description cannot be left empty: the program asks for at least a few words about what has happened.
The photo and the location
The photo is optional, but it usually saves explanations: a tyre, a dent in the bodywork, a road sign. A photo taken with the mobile or a PDF is accepted, up to 15 MB. When the incident concerns a coach, the photo is also saved in that coach's file, where the office will find it later.
The location is optional too, and on purpose. It is asked for only at this moment, when reporting an incident, and the driver can say no: if they refuse, the incident is sent anyway. If they give it, it is saved with six decimal places, because the point is to find a bus stopped on a road. Outside that moment, the portal does not follow the driver; we explain this in geolocating drivers: what the law says.
If the submission is cut off and the mobile repeats it, the incident is not duplicated: the program recognises the same submission and answers with the one that already exists.
How it reaches the office and who decides
The incident goes to the office, and only to the office. It is not a notice for the public: putting up a “there are delays” sign for travellers is a decision for the company, not something the driver does from the roadside.
In the office, open incidents appear in the same inbox as the expenses and papers the drivers send, counted separately. Whoever handles it marks it as in progress or closed, with a reply that the driver sees in their portal: “we are sending another coach”, “wait for the tow truck”, “carry on with the service”. The driver sees in their portal all the incidents they have sent, with their status and the reply.
What the office decides is everything else: whether another coach and another driver are needed, whether the customer has to be told, whether the service changes. And if it does change, they can send the driver a notice inside their portal.
What the report is not
The portal report is an internal notice between the driver and their office. It does not replace the procedures to be followed with the insurer or the authorities, and Bus Center does not send it to any body. Nor is it tracking of the driver: the location appears only if they give it when reporting.
A routine for the office
A few habits make the report work:
- Always reply, even if only “received”, so the driver knows someone has seen it.
- Close the incident when it is resolved, so the inbox shows only what is live.
- Review the photos of breakdowns and damage in the coach's record before the next workshop check.
- Look from time to time at which incidents repeat: if delays cluster on one route or breakdowns on one coach, there is a planning or workshop decision to be made.
You will find the rest of the portal in what a driver needs on their mobile, receipts in driver expenses on the road and a summary in the drivers section (in Spanish).
Sources consulted
Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.
Frequently asked questions
What must the driver do first if there is an accident?
Deal with the situation: Spain's road traffic act obliges anyone involved to help or call for help for the victims, avoid further danger and restore road safety. Notifying the office comes afterwards.
Is it compulsory to give the location when reporting an incident?
In Bus Center, no. The location is asked for only when reporting an incident and the driver can refuse it: the incident is sent anyway.
Who sees the incident?
The company's office, and only the office. Whoever handles it marks it as in progress or closed and leaves a reply that the driver sees in their portal.
Does Bus Center send the report to the insurer or the DGT (Spain's traffic authority)?
No. It is an internal notice between the driver and their office; procedures with the insurer or the authorities are handled separately.