With thousands of tours and travellers heading to Victoria’s alpine regions over the winter, over 200 rigorous roadside safety checks were undertaken on the buses to ensure safe travels.
Bus safety regulator Safe Transport Victoria (ST Vic) and Victoria Police teamed up to run Operation Aratrum and Operation Eastern Snow, conducting safety checks on buses heading to Victoria’s alpine resorts to ensure they were safe to be on the road.
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Nearly 200 buses were checked during the winter operation, with 19 infringements and 31 defect notices issued. In addition, three operators were found providing services without required accreditation.
“Our compliance work is making it safer for snow-goers to travel to the resorts and return home safely,” public and active transport minister Gabrielle Williams says.
“There is no room for complacency when it comes to bus safety and these compliance checks will ensure bus services remain safe for passengers.”
Inspections included checking vehicles for roadworthiness and confirming operators had the proper accreditations and that vehicles are correctly registered. They also made sure that drivers held the relevant authority required to drive a bus in ski resort and alpine areas, and that buses were fitted with the correct safety equipment, including tyre chains.
Bus inspections are not uncommon and take place each winter on roads leading to the ski resorts. Non-accredited drivers or operators caught with unroadworthy buses risk fines or prosecution.
Bus safety is an ongoing focus for ST Vic, with safety inspectors conducting random checks year-round to ensure buses meet required safety standards and drivers are appropriately licensed.
“Alpine regions have some of the most challenging road and weather conditions in Victoria so it’s crucial that buses are maintained in roadworthy condition,” Safe Transport Victoria executive director safety strategy and regulation Chris Banks says.
“Bus operators need to ensure they are accredited, vehicles are kept in a roadworthy condition and that drivers are appropriately licenced.”
“During the recent winter operation we issued infringements to non-compliant bus operators and will be following up others to ensure they have taken action to rectify defect notices.”
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