The Australian Government is reforming the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 to ensure that public transport is more inclusive, practical, and aligned with modern operations and technology.
The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport, and the Arts (DITRDC) released an exposure draft of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Amendments 2025 (the amendments). These amendments give effect to the reforms to the Transport Standards that were announced by the Australian Government on 20 March 2024.
The exposure draft sets out the agreed amendments, which aim to modernise the Transport Standards and improve accessibility across the whole public transport journey and are seeking feedback on:
- The clarity of the proposed amendments, to ensure they are easy to understand and reflect the intent of the agreed reforms.
- The effectiveness of the transitional arrangements for operators and providers, particularly in scenarios where processes are underway to procure, construct or significantly upgrade assets.
- Any other relevant view or information.
The BIC reached out to its members to gather feedback from a bus industry perspective, specifically to understand the operational, financial, and technical impacts of the proposed reforms and we thank those who responded.
The BIC Secretariat is currently developing a response which is due 1 December 2025.
Submission season
It’s a particularly busy period, with multiple submissions due between now and Christmas. These include:
- Heavy vehicle charges consultation report (NTC)
- Heavy Vehicle National Law statutory instruments (NTC)
- Impacts of heavy vehicle reform (Productivity Commission)
- Lithium Battery Onboard Energy Storage System Safety Standard TS00034 (Transport for NSW)
