Narrative:

We were taxiing northbound from spot 1S to gate X. Just prior to gate, there is a xroad for ground vehicles. The numerous tugs and trucks passing by did not stop until we were within approximately 10 yards of the xroad. A tug approaching from the right was not going to stop even then, until I turned on the taxi light to the full bright position to get his attention. After he stopped, I began to roll forward. Just as our nose approached the edge of the xroad, a passenger bus with the 'air carrier' logo pulled out in front of us from the left. We came to a sudden stop with the nose of the airplane only a few ft from the bus at it zoomed by. I had a clear view of the driver as he passed, since I was looking directly down into the bus. He did not acknowledge us at all, or even seem to be paying any attention to approaching aircraft. After we complained to ramp control, an air carrier Y pilot said that someone had just pulled out in front of him also. This incident is a culmination of what I believe has become an unacceptable problem on the ramp at atl. At other airports, ground vehicle drivers are much more respectful of taxiing aircraft. At ord, for example, drivers will stop when an aircraft is approaching when it is still as much as 100 yards away. They will only cross in front of us if I stop and wave them on, such as when I am blocked by other airplanes ahead. At atl, on the other hand, air carrier Y ground vehicle drivers especially almost seem to be intentionally trying to slow us down! Obviously, that is pure speculation on my part, but it has been happening with such frequency lately that I am increasingly led to that conclusion. Are they not told to yield to aircraft? It doesn't look like they are. Having said all that, I suggest the following: 1) establish an iron-clad set of rules for ground vehicle drivers on the ramp and txwys at every airport, especially atl. These should include minimum distances to be maintained between ground vehicles and aircraft, with the onus of compliance placed on the ground driver. 2) inform the drivers of these rules with a thorough training program. 3) monitor to ensure compliance. In the incident in this report, the bus driver was approaching from my left, with the bright afternoon sun behind him. If I had been taxiing any faster, we most likely would have collided. If anyone had been up and walking in the cabin, they would probably have been injured during the sudden stop. We were very lucky this time. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain said that he had received a call from the general manager in operations for his airline. The manager said that the city was looking into the situation with a meeting planned with the city, police, and the other airline that is responsible for the bus traffic. The city has posted signs and is monitoring traffic in that area. The roads are painted strips on the ramps between the 2 large terminals. The busses are driven by maintenance personnel. Reporter said the congestion has worsened over the last 6 months. Atl is the worst airport for these traffic violations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 PIC RPT ON NEARLY BEING HIT BY A RAPIDLY MOVING ACR BUS ON THE TXWY BTWN THE TERMINALS AT ATL.

Narrative: WE WERE TAXIING NBOUND FROM SPOT 1S TO GATE X. JUST PRIOR TO GATE, THERE IS A XROAD FOR GND VEHICLES. THE NUMEROUS TUGS AND TRUCKS PASSING BY DID NOT STOP UNTIL WE WERE WITHIN APPROX 10 YARDS OF THE XROAD. A TUG APCHING FROM THE R WAS NOT GOING TO STOP EVEN THEN, UNTIL I TURNED ON THE TAXI LIGHT TO THE FULL BRIGHT POS TO GET HIS ATTN. AFTER HE STOPPED, I BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD. JUST AS OUR NOSE APCHED THE EDGE OF THE XROAD, A PAX BUS WITH THE 'ACR' LOGO PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF US FROM THE L. WE CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE ONLY A FEW FT FROM THE BUS AT IT ZOOMED BY. I HAD A CLR VIEW OF THE DRIVER AS HE PASSED, SINCE I WAS LOOKING DIRECTLY DOWN INTO THE BUS. HE DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE US AT ALL, OR EVEN SEEM TO BE PAYING ANY ATTN TO APCHING ACFT. AFTER WE COMPLAINED TO RAMP CTL, AN ACR Y PLT SAID THAT SOMEONE HAD JUST PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF HIM ALSO. THIS INCIDENT IS A CULMINATION OF WHAT I BELIEVE HAS BECOME AN UNACCEPTABLE PROB ON THE RAMP AT ATL. AT OTHER ARPTS, GND VEHICLE DRIVERS ARE MUCH MORE RESPECTFUL OF TAXIING ACFT. AT ORD, FOR EXAMPLE, DRIVERS WILL STOP WHEN AN ACFT IS APCHING WHEN IT IS STILL AS MUCH AS 100 YARDS AWAY. THEY WILL ONLY CROSS IN FRONT OF US IF I STOP AND WAVE THEM ON, SUCH AS WHEN I AM BLOCKED BY OTHER AIRPLANES AHEAD. AT ATL, ON THE OTHER HAND, ACR Y GND VEHICLE DRIVERS ESPECIALLY ALMOST SEEM TO BE INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO SLOW US DOWN! OBVIOUSLY, THAT IS PURE SPECULATION ON MY PART, BUT IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING WITH SUCH FREQUENCY LATELY THAT I AM INCREASINGLY LED TO THAT CONCLUSION. ARE THEY NOT TOLD TO YIELD TO ACFT? IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THEY ARE. HAVING SAID ALL THAT, I SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING: 1) ESTABLISH AN IRON-CLAD SET OF RULES FOR GND VEHICLE DRIVERS ON THE RAMP AND TXWYS AT EVERY ARPT, ESPECIALLY ATL. THESE SHOULD INCLUDE MINIMUM DISTANCES TO BE MAINTAINED BTWN GND VEHICLES AND ACFT, WITH THE ONUS OF COMPLIANCE PLACED ON THE GND DRIVER. 2) INFORM THE DRIVERS OF THESE RULES WITH A THOROUGH TRAINING PROGRAM. 3) MONITOR TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE. IN THE INCIDENT IN THIS RPT, THE BUS DRIVER WAS APCHING FROM MY L, WITH THE BRIGHT AFTERNOON SUN BEHIND HIM. IF I HAD BEEN TAXIING ANY FASTER, WE MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE COLLIDED. IF ANYONE HAD BEEN UP AND WALKING IN THE CABIN, THEY WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN INJURED DURING THE SUDDEN STOP. WE WERE VERY LUCKY THIS TIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT SAID THAT HE HAD RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE GENERAL MGR IN OPS FOR HIS AIRLINE. THE MGR SAID THAT THE CITY WAS LOOKING INTO THE SIT WITH A MEETING PLANNED WITH THE CITY, POLICE, AND THE OTHER AIRLINE THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUS TFC. THE CITY HAS POSTED SIGNS AND IS MONITORING TFC IN THAT AREA. THE ROADS ARE PAINTED STRIPS ON THE RAMPS BTWN THE 2 LARGE TERMINALS. THE BUSSES ARE DRIVEN BY MAINT PERSONNEL. RPTR SAID THE CONGESTION HAS WORSENED OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS. ATL IS THE WORST ARPT FOR THESE TFC VIOLATIONS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.