Reminder to wear a seatbelt on buses Following the recent tragedy involving passengers in the Hunter Valley, Transport for NSW (Transport) wants to remind bus operators and their passengers about their responsibilities in relation to seatbelts. Clause 89 of the Passenger Transport (General) Regulation 2017 (NSW) states bus operators must take reasonable steps to ensure passengers are aware of the need to wear seatbelts when travelling on a bus, and by law, all passengers must use seat belts in any bus that is fitted with them. Under the law, bus drivers are not accountable if passengers, including school students, fail to use the seatbelts provided. Under no circumstances should a driver physically intervene when a student refuses to wear a seatbelt. Wearing a seatbelt on the bus helps bus operators keep everyone safe by allowing them to pay attention to the road while driving, rather than focusing on what each of their passengers is doing. Read more about bus safety on our website.
Driving a bus or coach in the snow? Driving in the NSW snowfields can be dangerous, with poor visibility and slippery road surfaces. To prevent serious injuries and incidents in these challenging conditions, only specially trained drivers may carry passengers on bus or coach services in the NSW snowfields. Any driver operating in the snow must have completed a Transport for NSW (Transport)approved Snow Driver Training course and must carry evidence that they have completed this training when transporting passengers into the Kosciuszko National Park from 1 June 2023 to 11 October 2023. Transport is conducting regulatory assurance activities in the snowfield during 2023 and may enforce the snow driver training requirement. If drivers are found to be operating a public passenger service without having completed the required training, the driver’s authority and the operator’s accreditation may both be suspended. For more information on Snow Driver Training, contact: Into Training Australia on - 1300 739 881 or sales@intotraining.com.au Raise Training - all enquiries to Port Stephens Coaches on (02) 4982 2940 or info@pscoaches.com.au.