Standing passengers and buses carrying school students on certain road

If you are an operator of a bus service, there are specific legislative requirements you must follow when carrying standing passengers or transporting school students on certain roads. These requirements ensure passenger safety and compliance with Australian Design Rules (ADR).

Requirements for buses carrying standing passengers

If the bus carries standing passengers, the operator must take reasonable steps to ensure:

• the bus is specifically designed and constructed to carry standing passengers
• the bus does not travel on a no standing passenger road while carrying standing passengers.

Requirements for buses carrying school students on no standing passenger roads

If the bus is:

• travelling on a "no standing passenger road"
• carrying school students on a general route service or school service as part of a journey to or from school

The operator must ensure the bus complies with the following requirements:

• Passenger seats: Each passenger seat fitted to the bus must comply with ADR 68/00 – Occupant Protection in Buses, ensuring adequate protection in the event of a collision.
• Structural integrity: The bus must comply with ADR 59/00 – Omnibus Rollover Strength (if applicable, see bus type requirements below).
• Bus type restrictions: Heavy buses used for school services on no standing passenger roads must be single decked. Double-decked buses are not permitted for these services.

Requirements for light buses (16 or less passengers)

If the bus:

• is a light bus built to carry not more than 16 passengers (excluding the driver and crew
• is being used to provide a school service

The following requirement applies:

• each passenger seat fitted to the bus must comply with ADR 68/00.

Requirements for light buses (more than 16 passengers)

If the bus:

• is a light bus built to carry more than 16 passengers (excluding the driver and crew)

The following requirements apply:

• the bus must comply with ADR 59/00 for rollover strength.

If the light bus is being used to provide a school service, each passenger seat fitted to the bus must also comply with ADR 68/00.

Requirements for heavy buses

If the bus is a heavy bus, the following requirements apply:

• the bus must be a single-decked bus.
• the bus must comply with ADR 59/00 for rollover strength.

If the bus is being used to provide a school service, each passenger seat fitted to the bus must comply with ADR 68/00.

References

• Australian Design Rules
• Notified roads where standing passengers are not permitted

Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Regulation 2018

• Section 18O: Requirements in relation to standing passengers
• Section 18P: Requirements in relation to buses carrying school students on certain roads
• Schedule 1AA, Part 6: Buses carrying school students on no standing passenger roads

Read the full Regulation on the Queensland Legislation website.