Annex
Guidelines for Ensuring Safety of Students on Student Service Vehicles - For Drivers to Observe
(1) Each passenger should be allocated a seat. A passenger shall not be permitted to travel in the vehicle unless seated in a properly constructed seat secured to the body of the vehicle. Drivers should ensure that their vehicles do not carry passengers in excess of the passenger seats specified in the registration documents of vehicles and every passenger shall be counted. If any person driving a vehicle on a road carries in the vehicle passengers in excess of the number specified in the registration document of that vehicle, the driver commits an offence and is liable on first conviction to a fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for 3 months and on second or subsequent conviction to a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for 6 months.
(2) To meet the demand for student transport services as far as possible and to better utilise existing fleet resources, although Regulation 53(1) of the Road Traffic (Traffic Control) Regulations (Cap. 374G) allows that a child under the age of 3 years shall not be counted, and 3 children aged 3 years or above but each not exceeding 1.3 metres in height shall be counted as 2 persons for the purpose of counting the number of persons that may be carried in a vehicle, it is also stipulated in Regulation 53(2) of the same Regulations that drivers shall ensure that each passenger must be seated in a properly constructed seat secured to the bodywork of the vehicle. Drivers are reminded to accord priority to student safety on board and obtain prior consent from schools or parents/guardians before exercising flexibility given by law in counting the number of persons that may be carried in a vehicle. For more information, please contact 1823 or 2804 2600.
(3) As a licensing condition in the Passenger Service Licence, every school bus or school private light bus carrying primary and kindergarten students should provide an escort while in operation.
(4) The Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374A) stipulates that in every student service vehicle registered on or after 1 May 2009, the vehicle will be required to be fitted with “safer seats”. For details, please refer to the “Requirements for Passenger Seats in Student Service Vehicles” at Annex.
(5) In October 2021, Transport Department notified the trade of the requirement to provide lap belts on all rear passenger seats on new student service vehicles with first registration on or after 1 July 2022.
Seat belts on passenger seats should observe the seat belt requirements of Part I of Schedule 2 of Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) Regulations (Cap. 374F).
(6) Drivers should –
(i) check that their vehicles, especially braking, steering systems and all tyres are in serviceable condition before moving off;
(ii) drive carefully and safely;
(iii) ensure that students board and alight from their vehicles safely and that the vehicles have come to a standstill before the students are allowed to board or alight;
(iv) make full use of the parking facilities or lay-by available in the schools to set down students;
(v) co-operate with the escorts;
(vi) not reverse unless it can be done in safety. Before reversing drivers should make sure that there are no pedestrians - particularly children - behind vehicle. Drivers should be especially careful about the 'blind spots' behind vehicle - that is, the parts of the road which cannot be seen from the driving seat.
If there is any doubt, drivers should get out to make quite sure.
(vii) get someone to guide when reversingif drivers cannot see clearly behind. Drivers must not reverse for an unreasonable distance or time. Drivers should never reverse from a side road on to a main road.
(viii) be polite to students and parents;
(ix) keep the vehicles clean at all time;
(x) avoid bad language;
(xi) allow no students on the vehicles during their absence;
(xii) avoid parking on a slope and look for a level parking space. If drivers need to park on a slope due to practical circumstance, drivers should stop vehicle as close as he or she can to the nearside kerb and leave steering wheel turned to the right (parking uphill) or the left (parking downhill). Drivers should leave vehicle in appropriate gear. Before leaving vehicle drivers should switch off the engine, make sure the handbrake is on firmly and lock vehicle.
(xiii) be punctual – if the vehicle arrives early at a pickup point, it should not leave earlier than the scheduled time unless all students concerned have been on board; if it is late for a pickup point, the driver should still be patient to pickup all students properly;
(xiv) ensure that the alighted students are safe before moving off the vehicles;
(xv) ensure that they themselves, as well as any passengers (including students and escorts) have worn seat belts, if fitted, before moving off the vehicles. The seat belt should be worn properly.
It should securely fasten the wearer to the seat. Two or more persons should not share a seat belt at the same time. Drivers may consider refusing to move off the vehicle if a passenger refuses to wear a seat belt installed on the vehicle;
(xvi) ensure that all necessary warning devices for the emergency exits and any power-operated doors are in good working order;
(xvii) ensure that the gangway and emergency exits are not obstructed;
(xviii) not use hand-held mobile phones or public address system while the vehicle is in motion. If there is a need to use these equipment, use hands-free devices and keep the conversations brief;
(xix) ensure that the “CAUTION CHILDREN 小心學童” sign board is displayed at the rear of the school bus while student service is in operation;
(xx) ensure that the “STUDENT SERVICE 學生服務” sign board is displayed on the windscreen of the school bus while student service is in operation. The signboard shall not be displayed when the service is not in operation; and
(xxi) ensure that valid Restricted Zone permit(s), Prohibited Zone permit (s) and Bus-lane permit(s) issued by the Transport Department, if any, are displayed on the windscreen of the school bus.
(7) Drivers should ensure that no illicit fuel is used in their vehicles. Use of illicit fuel would not only constitute an offence of revenue fraud but also easily create fire hazard.
(8) Drivers should know where the fire extinguisher(s) are located, and how to operate them. Drivers should also regularly check that the content gauge of the fire extinguisher(s) is above the minimum level and to
(9) If vehicle breaks down, drivers should think first of his or her own, the escort’s and students’ safety, switch on hazard warning lights immediately and use mobile phone to inform the police. Drivers should get vehicle off the roadway if possible, onto any lay-by, hard shoulder or hard strip if available. Drivers should switch off the engine and never forget the danger from passing traffic.
(10) In case of emergency or accident, drivers together with the escorts should help the students to keep calm to avoid unnecessary panic.
Drivers, the escorts and students should evacuate from the vehicle only if drivers are sure that all people can safely get clear of the carriageway and get to a safe place waiting for arrival of the emergency services. If in doubt, drivers, escorts and students should remain in vehicle until the emergency services arrive. If any person gets injury on board, the driver should stop the vehicle. He should report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and arrange to inform the school/parents of the accident in the earliest possible opportunity.
Transport Department July 2022
Annex
(English Translation)
Requirements for Passenger Seats in Student Service Vehicles (Generally known as “Safer Seats”)
According to the “Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations” (Cap. 374A), every student service vehicle registered on or after 1 May 2009 shall be required to be fitted with “safer seats”. The salient points of the legislation are as follows:
Definition of Student Service Vehicles
(1) a public bus authorized for providing student service (A03) as specified in s.4(3)(d) of the “Public Bus Ordinance” (Cap. 230);
(2) a private bus authorized for providing student service (B01) as specified in s.27(5)(a) of the “Road Traffic Ordinance” (Cap. 374); and
(3) a school private light bus.
Standards of the Passenger Seats
- seats, barriers and their anchorage shall conform to the requirements of any specification or standard specified in the legislation;
- seat backs, barriers and controlled surface shall be made of impact energy absorption material that conforms to the requirements of any specification or standards specified in the legislation;
- no folding table or folding table or folding accessories shall be installed on any controlled surface;
- seats and restraining barriers shall be made of fire resistant material that conforms to the requirements of any specification or standard specified in the legislation;
- every seat shall be forward-facing; and
- space of the passenger seat and the height of seat back should meet the requirement specified in the legislation.
Notes to Applicants for Provision of Student Service
- Any student service vehicle which is registered on or after 1 May 2009 shall be fitted with passenger seats of the standards as stipulated in the “Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations” (Cap. 374A).
- Approval will NOT be given for issuance of Passenger Service Licence or student service endorsement to those vehicles which are not in compliance with the new legislative requirement.
Enquiries
For further enquiries, please contact the following offices by phone or fax:
Vehicle Safety and Standard Division (Vehicle Examination Centre)
For examination of buses - Tel. no.: 2333 3112
For examination of school private light buses - Tel. no.: 2759 7573
