School buses across rural and regional NSW are set to be fitted with seatbelts, a plan that has been more than 10 years in the making. 

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the $237 million seatbelt program would give regional students, their families and entire communities the reassurance that travelling to and from school is now safer than ever.  

“Country kids have to travel longer distances than those in the city, and we want to make those journeys as safe as possible,” Mr Toole said.  

Prior to the Rural and Regional Seatbelt Program being rolled out in 2013 promising to fit school buses across the state, a review was made of the plan that suggested several recommendations of the program. 

One of the biggest inefficiencies identified in the program was the retrofitting of buses that were already aged, where concerns rose that fitting the bus wouldn’t be ‘value for money’.

Instead, it was recommended that Transport for NSW replace Category 3 and 4 buses that were manufactured before 2020 by 2019. 

This year, the government is set to finish their delivery on the program, with over 2,500 buses to be fitted with seatbelts, and 900 retrofitted so far. 

Director of Western Plains-based bus company Langleys, Fiona Langley, said that the company took it upon themselves to fit their buses years before the program could be delivered to them. 

“We started proactively doing that ourselves before it was mandated, but we’ve supported it on the way through. It’s definitely a fantastic initiative,” Ms Langley said. 

Currently, common designs of school buses aren’t fitted with seatbelts, leaving students vulnerable to accidents, and bus drivers liable despite the increased risk of injury if an accident were to occur. 

Unsurprisingly, bus companies around the region are in support of the rollout. 

“We’re wondering why it didn’t happen years ago,” Ms Langley said. 

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said that over 200,000 students would benefit from the boost to safety. 

“Regional school buses frequently have to travel on unsealed roads and on roads outside urban areas with a speed limit of 80 km/h and above and now thanks to more than these seat-belted buses in service, we know our children will be safer.”  

The final investment into the seatbelt program comes after last month's Bus Safety Week, which promoted a refocus on safe behaviour around buses as schools return to face-to-face learning.

It is compulsory for students to wear seatbelts where they are fitted.