Seatbelt costs are among the issues dogging regional NSW operators, BusNSW reps heard during a recent tour
March 26, 2013
The operational costs of implementing seatbelts were among major concerns regional New South Wales operators expressed at recent BusNSW seminars.
More than 300 BusNSW members attended the seminar presentations at ten locations across NSW last month to hear the latest on contract renewal, contract compliance and accreditation.
A BusNSW spokesperson says several issues, including problems with
seatbelts and no standing on rural and regional school bus routes, dominated discussions at the seminars.
“The potential costs and operational impacts, which surround the introduction of seatbelts and no standees on these rural and regional school bus routes raises a number of questions surrounding the implementation as well as the potential capacity issues for operators,” the spokesperson says.
The spokesperson says also of interest were the School Bus Safety Committee’s report, proposed recommendations awaiting Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian’s approval, and concerns about Transport for NSW’s audit of student application forms for subsidised travel.
Other matters raised included the review of the Passenger Transport Legislation, potential changes to service regulation, proposals to make legislation ‘mode neutral’, and the Long Term Transport Master Plan’s suggestion to introduce regional transport plans
that assess the whole NSW transport system
–
including contracted services, Countrylink and community transport.
Industrial relations issues also sparked debate, with changes to the Fairwork Act and the review of the Passenger Vehicle Transportation Award (PVTA) hot topics at the seminars.
BusNSW representatives Matt Threlkeld, Nathan Shuttleworth, Melissa Bowden and Melanie O’Brien presented the regional seminars.
The presentations were intended to help BusNSW members understand industry changes, while keeping up to date with contract compliance.