Q My company operates a number of school buses as well
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as providing a stagecarriage service within a country town. On the school services, children often sit three to a seat which I am told is permissible. Does this also apply on the stage carriage service or is it confined only to school buses?
A The practice of seating children three to a seat is provided for in the Public Service Vehicles and Trolley Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1954. Regulation 3 provides that the number of seated passengers carried on any vehicle shall not exceed the number for which the vehicle has seating capacity, but qualifies this in relation to the carriage of children.
Provided that where only children and, if any, not more than six necessary attendants are carried on a vehicle then in reckoning the number of seated passengers carried on that vehicle for the purpose of the Regulation three children not exceeding 15 years of age may be reckoned as two passengers. Children who attain the age of 15 years during a school term may be considered not to exceed 15 years of age during the period of that term.
To answer your question, it is hardly likely that only children with or without attendants will be carried at any one time on any of your stage carriage services and, therefore, the three children to a seat criterion cannot be applied.