Media Release
Last week the Office of Transport Safety Investigations released their report into the 2023 bus crash at Greta in the NSW Hunter Valley in which ten people sadly lost their lives.
The Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) is reinforcing their national policy, Seatbelts are priceless, calling for every passenger to be given the same level of protection on a bus.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends still living with the tragic events of that night” BIC Chief Executive Officer Varenya Mohan-Ram said. “Nothing in this policy can undo what happened. Moving forward we can work with industry and Government to close loopholes and further improve bus and coach standards.”
“Bus travel is the safest form of road transport in Australia.” said Mr Mohan-Ram. “However over 239 bus passengers are injured on our roads each year, and BIC’s position is that one preventable death is one too many.”
Seatbelts are priceless is an extension of BIC’s 2023 position paper, Bus Safety Initiatives, which called for urgent reform of Australian Design Rule 68. The rule allows some buses and coaches to operate with seated passengers being required to wear seatbelts, while standing passengers have no access to safety protection such as seatbelts. This can put everyone on the bus at risk in the event of an accident.
The Government has acted on key BIC recommendations announcing in 2025 the Occupant Protection in Buses, closing the gap on key issues. This includes a mandated Seatbelt Reminder Systems to encourage and remind greater seatbelt usage. The new requirements apply to new models from 1 November 2026 and to all new vehicles from 1 November 2027.
“We welcome reforms but more needs to be done including community education, not just regulation” Mr Mohan-Ram said. “A seatbelt only saves a life if it is worn. Most people don’t give a second thought to wearing a seatbelt in a car, we just need people to understand the same applies to buses and coaches”
BIC will continue to be the driving force around seatbelt safety. BIC is calling for:
- A national public education campaign on bus seatbelt use, including a harmonised school program
- Seatbelts on all dedicated school buses
- The same level of protection for every person on a bus
The full paper and policy are available on BIC’s website – www.bic.asn.au.
ENDS
