2 Bus Safety – It’s a shared responsibility About us: Bus Safety Victoria The Bus Safety Act 2009 Accredited and Registered Bus Operators Procuring a bus service About us: Bus Association Victoria (BusVic) Education: Safe school bus travel; and Addressing anti social behaviour Bus Safety Week

3 About us Bus Safety Victoria is a branch of Transport Safety Victoria - the state's safety regulator of public transport. Our primary objective is to independently seek the highest transport safety standards that are reasonably practicable, consistent with the transport system's vision and objectives under the Bus Safety Act 2009 (Vic). We are committed to achieving safe bus transport for the benefit of all Victorians.

4 Bus Safety Act 2009 The Bus Safety Act 2009 regulated by Transport Safety Victoria (TSV) is the law that bus service operators (and others) must comply with. Anyone wishing to operate a bus service in Victoria with seating positions for 10 or more adults (including the driver) must be either accredited or registered. This includes community and courtesy bus services provided free of charge.

5 Accredited bus operators You must apply for accreditation if you intend to operate a commercial bus service using buses with 13 or more seats. Accredited bus operators need to demonstrate that they have the competence to operate a commercial bus service or local bus service safely. Accredited bus operators must have comprehensive safety and risk management systems in place which are assessed and audited by TSV. This provides peace of mind to all Victorians.

6 Registered bus operators You must be a registered bus operator if you intend to operate: A commercial minibus service; Any bus service that is not a commercial bus service or a local bus service; Community and private bus service Non-commercial courtesy bus service Hire and drive bus service

7 Registered bus operators Schools operating their own bus service are considered to be community and private bus services. Operators of community and private bus services are required to be registered. There is no application fee or annual fees for bus operator registration.registered Safety duties apply to operators of bus services regardless of whether buses are borrowed, owned, rented or leased.

8 Procurers of a bus service If you charter a bus service or engage with an operator for the provision of a bus service, you are a procurer of a bus service. Procurers must ensure the safety of bus services they procure. As a starting point, we recommend you check that the bus operator is accredited or registered.

9 Bus stop safety Wide span of safety responsibility Bus stops are an area where responsibility for ensuring safety is generally shared among a number of persons. Safety at bus stops can be complicated due to the shared nature of responsibility and the fact that some persons who have a safety duty may not be aware of their responsibilities. It is necessary that everyone who has a safety responsibility at bus stops is aware of, and accepts, their responsibility and works with others to ensure safety risks are effectively managed.

10 About us Bus Association Victoria Inc is the voluntary professional association for over 400 of Victoria’s accredited route, school, tour and charter and non-accredited (registered) bus and coach operators. When required we assist our members in meeting their obligations under the Bus Safety Act BusVic's members' have a trans-generational commitment to getting their customers home safely. This is the ultimate promise member operators make to each other, to their customers, to their staff, and to the various stakeholders in the communities in which they operate. Safety is at the heart of everything that BusVic member operators do. BusVic encourage schools to engage an Accredited bus operator when you need a bus service.

11 Bus Safety Education

12 Addressing anti social behaviour education Following over 60 incidents involving rock throwing at buses in Melbourne in 2015, a sub-committee was formed including representatives from Bus Association of Victoria (BusVic), Transport Safety Victoria (TSV), Public Transport Victoria (PTV), Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Victoria Police (Vic Pol), Department of Education and Training (DET) and bus service operators to address known issues. The sub-committee and statistics determined that young people are increasingly engaging in anti-social behaviour to impress their friends and to fulfill their own needs at someone else’s expense. The bus and bus driver are viewed as an easy target. One of the proposed actions was the development and delivery of an education program for youth in metropolitan schools that will address not only rock throwing, but also other anti-social behaviours including fare evasion, vandalism, graffiti, bus surfing, and abuse of staff and other passengers.

13 Addressing anti social behaviour education The TAC have developed the program for BusVic which will link to the core road safety education resource for primary schools in Victoria, Kids On The Move. The program will consist of the following components: An interactive presentation on safe and responsible use of buses that can be delivered to groups of students by a trained education professional. A teacher kit with follow-up activities designed for different year levels (i.e. levels 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10) that would be given to schools after a presentation. Materials for schools to use to educate parents about how they can assist in ensuring that their children are safe and responsible bus users, such as items for school newsletters. The key focus of educational messages will be around respect and safety and will reinforce good behaviours and responsible use of and interaction with buses and drivers.

14 Bus Safety Week TSV and BusVic will deliver Victoria’s inaugural Bus Safety Week from June Over 183 million bus and coach trips are made in Victoria each year. That’s 119m in metro route buses, 27m in dedicated school buses, 20m in tour and charter coaches, 15m in regional town buses, and 1.5m in V/Line coaches. Fatalities and serious injuries associated with all of these trips are relatively low, making bus travel one of the safest modes of transport, but any serious accident is one too many. Bus service regulators, operators, workers, manufacturers and Government are committed to achieving safe bus transport for the benefit of all Victorians. To continually improve bus safety we also ask that you please play your part too because…. BUS SAFETY - IT’S A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY.

15 Bus Safety Week Department of Education and Training is a Partner in the week and they will send a message out to schools which we encourage you to please share with your staff and students. To find out more about Accreditation and Registration contact: Bus Safety Victoria - Web: transportsafety.vic.gov.au/bus-safety, Ph: option 2, To find out more about school educational programs, bus safety week and membership assistance contact: BusVic - Web: busvic.asn.au, Ph: , ANY QUESTIONS??