Australia

Just How Safe Are You Travelling by Bus in Australia?

by Richard July 03, 2024

Travelling by bus on the roads in Australia was not a particularly comfortable or safe experience in the past. Even as little as three decades ago, buses and coaches were seen on the highways with smoke billowing behind them, and passengers were stuffed into cramped cabins. This is definitely not the case today. Not only is bus and coach travel the cheapest form of motor travel in Australia, but it is also now the safest. Any injury that happens on the roads due to accidents is very much regrettable, but thankfully, if you travel by bus hire, these are few and far between.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau

A recent survey by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to investigate bus safety on the roads between 1990 and 1998 revealed some astonishing facts. It revealed that coaches and buses were only involved in 1% of road accidents during that eight-year period.

If you have a group excursion in the next few weeks, contact CoachHire today and talk to our experienced booking agents. We can supply safe and comfortable vehicles for your journey.

One in Eight Hundred Million

It is hard to imagine, but there are over one billion individual journeys made possible by bus safety every year in Australia. And the chances of being in an accident is one in eight hundred million. This by any stretch of the imagination, proves that bus safety makes this form of transport reliable.

Even the school bus is safer than the family car. According to the Institute of Transport Studies at Sydney University, which conducted a survey into the comparable trips made by school buses and students travelling by private vehicles, children were seven times safer travelling on the bus than being driven by their parents.

Seatbelts

The introduction of compulsory seatbelts on buses has helped to dramatically improve bus safety on board these vehicles. However, some of the older buses and coaches do not have such safety features.

This is why the Bus Industry Federation has been campaigning all over the country to phase older vehicles off the roads as quickly as possible. BIF offers incentive schemes to coach operators to swap their older buses for safer and more efficient newer ones.

Because of these incentives, the changeover from new to old is estimated to be far more rapid than initially anticipated.

Looking After the Drivers Better

Although ensuring the vehicles are safer to travel on is essential, this does not address the person behind the wheel. In the past, many drivers could operate longer hours than they were supposed to.

Now, increased checks on driver documentation of driving hours have reduced the chances of driver fatigue. And more and more group transportation companies insist that their drivers undergo regular health checks to ensure they are fit enough to operate, maintaining bus safety.

If you want to undertake a journey by road in Australia, it has been proven that the safest form of transportation is by bus. And if you book through reputable operators such as CoachHire AU, you are guaranteed to be offered first-class modern vehicles that prioritise bus safety.

Call to Action

Choose a partner company for your transportation services that prioritises your safety and comfort as you go on school trip adventures anywhere in Australia! Coach Hire Australia is a network of highly trained drivers aided by intelligent software that ensures efficiency and bus safety while manning well-maintained vehicles. Our vehicles, from mini bus to coaches, comply with road safety rules and regulations and are always reliable for all types of school trip transport. Book a coach hire with us, and rest assured that we prioritize your comfort and safety on every tour we offer.