Bus Safety Act 2009

The Bus Safety Act 2009 (also BSA) is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia and is the prime statute regulating the safety of bus operations in Victoria. The Act was developed as part of the Transport Legislation Review conducted by the Department of Transport between 2004 and 2010 and is aimed at preventing deaths and injuries arising from bus operations in Victoria and establishes a modern "best practice" regulatory framework to assist in maintaining and improving the Victorian bus industry's good safety record.

The Act continued regulatory control over the operation of large buses and introduced safety standards for the small or mini-bus sector which comprises 40% of the Victorian bus fleet. Controls over large and small buses comprise permissions such as accreditation and registration. In addition, the Act introduced broad based "safety duties" for bus operators and all others who have a significant role in providing both commercial and non-commercial bus services. The Act also extended the range of enforcement powers and sanctions available to the safety regulator - the Director, Transport Safety operating as Transport Safety Victoria - and operates to encourage greater safety awareness across all types of bus operations.

The Act was the State's first dedicated statute on the subject and replaced provisions in the Public Transport Competition Act 1995, which was renamed Bus Services Act 1995. The Bus Safety Act forms part of the transport policy and legislation framework in Victoria set by the Transport Integration Act 2010,^[1] and its provisions are subject to the overarching transport system vision, transport system objectives and decision making principles set out in that Act. The Bus Safety Act was passed in late March 2009 and commenced on 31 December 2010.

The responsible Minister for the Act is the Minister for Public and Active Transport.