Minister for Roads Terry Mulder announced that seatbelts are being fitted on all new dedicated free rural and regional school buses to improve safety. “In order to install seatbelts on school buses as quickly as possible, Public Transport Victoria will replace 90 dedicated free school buses each year, ensuring that students have safe and modern buses to get to and from school. “PTV will also retrofit 10 existing buses with seatbelts each year. These improvements will be funded by the Government at no cost to the bus operator.” Mr Mulder commented.
Mr Mulder explained that this new blitz on seat belts on school buses is in addition to 54 replacement school buses that have been ordered since 2013. The program will lift the percentage of school buses fitted with seat belts from 43 per cent to 70 per cent within the next five years.
“I am pleased to announce that local bus operators will receive a replacement or retrofitted school bus as part of this program in 2014.” Mr Mulder commented.