The UK Coach Operators Association (UKCOA) has received a letter from Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads, Buses and Places in the Department of Transport concerning PSVAR. The letter details that the current home to school transport exemption that was due to expire on 31 March this year has been extended to 31 July.There will be further exemptions granted beyond that date, but these may be dependent on size of fleet, although it is likely that there will be a further six month extension for all, with extensions after that requiring operators to meet increasing levels of compliance over the lifetime of the exemption.
Home to school operators who have an exemption which expired on 31 December 2021 can apply for a ‘closed door’ exemption to expire on 31 July by emailing [email protected].
Stephen Telling, Chairman of the UKCOA said: “We welcome the announcement from the Government over the extension of the existing exemptions for operators on home to school coach services. We believe this to be an important step while the existing PSV Accessibility Regulations are reviewed over the next two years. We commit to working with the DfT and DPTAC to ensure (especially) that the design of the lift in coaches is suitable for all people with health conditions or impairments, not just those who use wheelchairs, and is easy and safe to use.”
The UKCOA will discuss the above with its members at the next meeting on 18 January 2022.
