Objective:

To understand the perceptions of bus drivers as to the experiences at work and the impacts on their bodies.

Methods:

Descriptive study based on the phenomenological approach by scholar Maurice Merleau-Ponty, held at a bus garage in the period from July 2017 to January 2018. Twenty-four bus drivers with more than two years of occupation were interviewed. Open-ended questions in the interview script allowed free expression of the phenomenological meanings of work on health.

Results:

Interpersonal relations directly affect bus drivers' physical and psychological state. Besides, the relationship with time in traffic influences their behavior.

Conclusion:

Improvements in work and interpersonal relations are necessary in order to ensure the preservation of bus drivers' health, as an essential part for the displacement of the population. Attention to drivers' mental health is little valued, although it becomes essential for a people-related type of work, such as this.

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