The NSW government will roll out a road safety campaign about bus seatbelt laws and consider speed restriction mandates for school buses after accepting all recommendations from taskforce report ordered after the Greta bus tragedy.
The Bus Taskforce First Safety Report will be released on October 13 and includes five recommendations aiming to improve bus operations in NSW.
It comes after 10 people were killed in a fatal bus crash on Wine Country Drive after travelling home from a wedding on June 11.
Those include a thorough examination of the risks associated with standees on buses, implementing the NSW Rural and Regional Seatbelts Program as soon as possible and assisting bus operators to comply with their obligation to inform passengers about mandatory use of seatbelts.
The NSW government announced the Bus Industry Taskforce in May 2023, but following the Greta bus crash, the Transport Minister instructed the taskforce to expand its scope to examine the safety and regulatory arrangements of bus operations in NSW.
The taskforce released its first report in August, with more set to follow.
Transport for NSW will launch the new safety campaign from this week, aimed at educating passengers about the importance and legal requirements of wearing a seatbelt on a bus where one is available.
The campaign will initially appear on buses and coaches, and a second awareness campaign will appear later this year to coincide with the peak holiday travel period.
John Gaffney, whose son Mitchell was the groom in the June 11 wedding, said he welcomed the safety report and supported the campaign to raise awareness about seatbelt use on buses.
"Wearing a seatbelt doubles the chance of surviving a crash and reduces the risk of injury," he said.
"In NSW, each year, on average, 29 drivers and passengers are killed and around 79 seriously injured in crashes when not wearing available seatbelts.
"Many of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented if seatbelts had been worn.
"I also welcome the work Transport officials in NSW are doing with the bus and coach industry to ramp up activities already being done to roll out seat belts on school buses and support the community and the bus industry in complying with seat belt laws."
Future reports will make further recommendations to address safety concerns that arose from the tragedy.
"There is still work to be done when it comes to bus safety in NSW, but the NSW government is taking an important step by accepting all five recommendations from the first bus safety report," Transport Minister Jo Haylen said.
"My heart is with the families and community devastated by this tragedy.
"I've spoken to them personally and will continue to let their voices be heard as we work towards a safer future on our roads and public transport."
"I have asked the department to ramp up vital work in raising awareness of the importance of seatbelt laws on buses, especially on school buses."
"We want everyone to remember that seatbelts save lives."
Minister for Regional Transport and Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said the tragic bus accident "touched the lives of people across our nation and triggered an outpouring of grief and trauma".
"Not since the Clybucca bus accident in 1989 have we seen such a loss of life on our roads in a single incident.
"I have met with some of the members of those families who tragically lost their lives and given them my commitment to work with all the affected families to do our best to make sure an incident like this never happens again."
"The grief, trauma and regret caused by these tragedies lasts a lifetime."
The five recommendations in full:
1) That the NSW Government and Transport for NSW complete the current implementation of the NSW Rural and Regional Seatbelts Program as soon as possible.
2) That a road safety campaign be implemented to promote compliance with seatbelt laws on buses, including by school children.
3) That Transport for NSW consider how bus operators can be best assisted to comply with their obligation to inform passengers about the mandatory use of seatbelts. This could include additional guidance material, or regulatory or contractual amendments.
4) That Transport for NSW conducts a thorough examination of the risks associated with standees on buses and explores potential risk mitigation approaches.
5) That Transport for NSW consider whether the 80km/h rule for dedicated school bus services with standing passengers could be rolled out across all services and examine ways of reducing risks for standees on buses travelling over 80 km/h.
