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Since You Asked: Passing on the left laws apply to transit buses too Monday May 22, 2017 at 12:01 AM What are the rules for passing a non-school bus? Yesterday, I was stopped behind an Rogue Valley Transportation District bus, and the driver of the car behind me got impatient and drove around me and the bus. Could I have done the same? — Jim N., Medford Jim, you are allowed to pass transit buses on the left so long as you aren’t breaking any laws in the process. Safe passing on the left laws are still in effect so only pass the bus if there is a dotted yellow line, you won’t obstruct the flow of oncoming traffic and you have enough time to safely pass, said Medford police Lt. Kerry Curtis. “Otherwise, you could be cited for unsafe passing on the left,” he said. It’s also not lawful to pass a bus using the left turn only lane, such as the one that runs down East Main Street, Curtis said. Jim, these rules apply no matter how many drivers behind you are honking and shouting obscenities. And, lastly, remember that when the bus begins to merge back into the lane of traffic, it has the right of way. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.