Scope: This SOP is to understand what are the protocols that need to be followed while boarding and deboarding the passengers by the drivers


Tools: 

  1. OurBus Admin Panel: https://admin.ourbus.com/login

  2. OurBus Driver App


Operators Involved:

  1. NST - US Operator

  2. Equinox - Canada Operator


 Roles & Responsibilities: 

  1. The NST driver checks all the necessary documents while boarding the passengers at each stop starting from the first pickup.

  2. If any passenger is missing the required documents mentioned below, the driver has all right to deny the travel and inform the OurBus Dispatch team at 646-392-7565

  3. The driver can ask the passenger to call our OurBus Customer Service Team at 844-800-6828 for further assistance.

  4. The driver has to make the announcement for transfer at each stop OR once the pickup from all the 3 steps are done (NY, Fort Lee, and Binghamton)

The announcement should specify that passengers going to Canada have to deboard the bus at Buffalo Airport as they have to travel on the other bus by Equinox to Canada.


Here is the summary of how the Route will Operate: From NST


  1. The NST trip will start from New York at 4:30 pm and will end at Buffalo at 11:30 pm. 

  2. The intermediate stops for this trip will be Fort Lee - NJ, Binghamton - NY, Sayre - PA, Elmira - NY, Corning - NY, Geneseo - NY, Batavia - NY & Buffalo Airport - NY.

  3. The transfer for Canada passengers will take place at Buffalo Airport - NY where the bus's scheduled arrival time is 11:10 pm. 

  4. The bus going to Canada will reach Buffalo Airport at 11:30 pm. The driver has to drop off passengers before this time at Buffalo Airport so that passengers can get to the transfer bus smoothly. In case of delay, the driver or NST Dispatch has to inform the OurBus dispatch team immediately. 



 Process to be followed:

  1. OurBus Customer Service to send a communication to all the passengers for the master Route <Name of the master Route> with launch date 01/17/2022 explaining what all documents are required

  2. Template to be designed keeping the following points in mind for people travelling from to & fro

  3. Required Documents to be listed Canada to US (This is applicable for Canada Operator only)

    1. Valid Passport 

    2. Valid Visas ( work visas in accordance of the purpose of visit)

    3. Fully Vaccinated Certificate

    4. No RT PCR test required

    5. Get your ESTA/EVUS(Chinese Customers) approved before you plan to travel.


  1. Required Documents to be listed US to Canada

    1. Valid Passport 

    2. Valid Visas ( work visas in accordance of the purpose of visit)

    3. Negative PCR Test result tested within last 24-48hrs of travel

    4. Fully Vaccination certificate 

    5. You must be registered on the ArriveCan Application in your phone (Which is available on play store and app store)


  1. Instruction to passengers to prepare for Border Security Questionnaires


  1. Questions asked from the passengers in General

    1. The passenger has to explain the purpose of the visit according to the Essential or Nonessential purpose.

    2. The questions will only be regarding the documents that passengers will provide to the border.

    3. The passenger has to answer/explain the purpose of the visit.

    4. It's only in the Border Bureaucrat's decision that the passenger is eligible to cross the border or not.


Dispatch Team Roles & Responsibilities:

  1. We are assigning the correct drivers for the trip.

  2. As we already have the details for the equinox driver in our system so we can’t assign them for the NST transfer in the afternoon.

  3. So we are using the dummy numbers name Equinox Driver and NST driver.

  4. Make sure the Equinox driver is logging in on time as per our protocols and the NST driver has to toggle between his/her trip and the transfer trip in order to mark the attendance.

  5. At the time of transfer to Buffalo Airport make sure the Equinox Driver is logged in to the transfer trip.

  6. The NST driver will log in only at NY so if there are any other pickups from the other stops please check carefully and inform the NST driver


      B)   Make sure to inform the delay accordingly to the Equinox driver.