- Apply to be an accreditated bus operator
- Application process
- Do I need to be accredited as an operator?
- Supporting documents
- Competency interview
- Pay your bus accreditation fees
- Compliance with Bus Safety Regulations
- Displaying Accreditation Number
- What if my accreditation is refused?
- Apply for an exemption
On this page
Apply to be an accreditated bus operator
All applicants can apply for bus operator accreditation by:
- Submitting the online form here.
Body corporates, partnerships, unincorporated association, or body applicants will be required to provide additional documentation in their application.
To become a bus driver, you need to be accredited by us – find out more about this here.
You also need an appropriate licence based on the size of the vehicle. Please see VicRoads to apply.
In accordance with the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983, Section 165, a bus driver is only obligated to hold a bus driver accreditation (DC/DA) if they are operating a commercial bus service, a commercial minibus service, or a local bus service.
Application process
Below is an outline of the accreditation application process
- Submit your application form online including all supporting documents
- We assesses your application and you are provided an opportunity to address any errors we may have identified
- Your application is approved
- Pay your operator accreditation fee
- Receive your operator accreditation certificate
- Apply for Bus Operator number plates through VicRoads
- You are now an accredited bus operator.
Do I need to be accredited as an operator?
Operators must be accredited in order to provide the following:
- Commercial bus services
- Commercial minibus services
- Courtesy bus services
- Hire and drive bus services.
- Tour and Charter bus service
- Council bus services
- Educational services
- Community and private bus services
For more detail on these services, click here.
Supporting documents
Before your application can be processed, you must provide the following supporting documentation.
Accredited bus operators must develop their own management information system (MIS) based on their own operating conditions, risks, incident history, and determined safety objectives.
For more on how to create a MIS, please visit this page.
The purpose of an MMS is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that each bus operated by an accredited bus operator is safe and roadworthy whenever it is carrying passengers.
An MMS is applicable to accredited operators of a commercial or a local bus service, and persons who are accountable to the accredited operator for the maintenance and repair of buses.
An accredited bus operator must establish and maintain a system for ensuring that the buses they operate are maintained in accordance with the following requirements.
Find out more about MMS requirements here.
All applicants must nominate a responsible person.
A Responsible person is an individual who is involved, or takes part, in the management of the bus service to which the accreditation relates.
| Type of applicant | Relevant persons are: |
| Individual | The individual who is involved, or takes part, in the management of the bus service to which the accreditation relates. |
| Body corporate
A body corporate includes:
|
Company
Co-operative
Incorporated association
Other body corporate applicant that is not a company, incorporated association or co-operative Any member of the committee of management of the body corporate. |
| Partnership | Any partner who is involved, or takes part, in the management of the bus service to which the accreditation relates. |
| Unincorporated association or body | Any member of the committee of management of the association or body who is involved, or takes part, in the management of the bus service to which the accreditation relates. |
Replacement of responsible person
If the responsible person ceases to be an employee or officer of the accredited bus operator, the accredited bus operator must ensure that they notify ST Vic of the change in writing within 7 days after becoming aware of the change.
When nominating or replacing a Responsible person the operator will need to provide the following information.
- National Police Certificate (issued by Victoria Police) for the new responsible person.
- Certified copy of the new responsible persons photo ID.
- Current position description of the responsible person.
- An authorisation letter from a Director / Secretary / Chairman / Principal / Council appointing the responsible person.
- A copy of your Organisation management structure.
- Confirmation of current phone number for the operator
- Confirmation of current business address for the operator
- Confirmation of current fleet size
- An email address where the new accreditation certificate can be sent.
Notification can be sent to bus.safety@safetransport.vic.gov.au
For individual applicants:
An original national police check certificate (from Victoria Police) for the individual applicant
For all other applicants:
An original national police check certificate (from Victoria Police) for each relevant person.
For each bus to be operated under the service, a copy of the current roadworthy certificate issued by a licensed vehicle tester authorised by VicRoads to test buses.
Visit the VicRoads website for more information about roadworthy certificates.
For a body corporate which is a company within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001:
- a copy of the certificate of incorporation; and
- a list of the names of all directors of the company, current as at the date of application.
For a body corporate other than a company within the meaning of the Corporations Act:
- a copy of the certificate of incorporation or a copy of the document creating or evidencing the existence of the body corporate or, for government authorities or organisations incorporated under legislation, a letter on a letterhead stating the name of the legislation under which they are incorporated; and
- a list of the names of all directors and/or office bearers of the body corporate, current as at the date of application.
For an unincorporated association or body:
- a copy of the certificate of business name or other document creating or evidencing the existence of the unincorporated body or association. For example, a certificate of registration, a printed extract from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) website
- a list of the names of all members of the committee of management of the unincorporated association or body, current as at the date of application.
For a partnership:
- a copy of the partnership agreement; and
- a list of the names of each of the partners of the partnership, current as at the date of application.
Certified copies of proof of ID documents for the individual applicant or for all other applicants, the responsible person nominated in your application.
Any proof of identification documents not written in English must be accompanied by an English translation prepared by an accredited translator.
Your application must include one primary ID document from the list below:
- current Australian state/territory driver licence containing a photograph
- Australian passport (current or expired within the preceding two years)
- proof of age card containing a photograph of applicant
- foreign passport or similar travel document containing a photograph and signature.
Or
Two secondary ID documents (one from each list below):
One of these:
- Australian birth certificate
- Australian citizenship certificate
- national identity card issued by a foreign government containing a photograph of the person in whose name the card was issued.
And one of these:
- a document issued by a local government body or utilities provider within the preceding three months showing the person’s name and current residential address
- pension card issued by Centrelink
- health card issued by Centrelink
- a document issued by the Australian Taxation Office within the preceding 12 months that records a debt payable by the person to the Commonwealth (or by the Commonwealth to the person) which contains the person’s name and current residential address
- a document issued by the Commonwealth or a state or territory within the preceding 12 months that records the provision of financial benefits to the person, and which contains the person’s name and current residential address
- foreign driver licence that contains a photograph of the person in whose name it was issued and that person’s date of birth.
Persons that can certify documents include:
- Justice of the peace
- Notary public officer
- Police officer
- Chemist
- Permanent employee of Australia Post with five or more years of continuous service
- Finance company officer with five or more years of continuous service (with one or more finance companies)
- Officer with, or authorised representative of, a holder of an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), having five or more years’ continuous service with one or more licensees
- Australian consular officer or an Australian diplomatic officer
- Judge of a court or a magistrate
- Registrar or deputy registrar of a court
- Chief executive officer of a Commonwealth court.
Obtain your Accreditation Certificate
An accredited bus operator must keep the certificate of accreditation given to the operator by Safe Transport Victoria and must be produced upon request.
To obtain a copy of your accreditation certificate please provide the following information to bus.safety@safetransport.vic.gov.au:
- Your full name
- Your organisation name
- Operating address
- Confirmation of the current responsible person’s name.
- The name under which the accreditation is held.
- Confirmation of the current business address for the operator.
- Confirmation of the current fleet size.
- Contact details, including the email address associated with the account.
- Any previously issued RO numbers, if applicable
Once we receive this information and verify the information, a new Accreditation Certificate will be issued to you. If the details do not match, we will contact you about the matter.
For security and privacy reasons Certificates can only be issued to the registered email address on our system.
Provide your bus service type and details
When asked what type of bus service you intend to operate, please choose:
- commercial bus service (route/demand responsive/tour and charter/courtesy)
- local bus service
When asked for your proposed bus service details, please include:
- a description of the service – including days/hours of operation, geographical locations covered, the type of patrons
- whether or not passengers are charged a fee to use the service
- how many buses are to be operated.
Environment type
When applying for accreditation, you will be asked to describe the type of environment where the bus service will operate.
You must choose at least one.
Note: A built-up area is where there are buildings and/or houses next to the road or there is street lighting at intervals not over 100 metres apart for 500 metres or more.
Environment 1 (E1) – built-up areas, high population density, low speeds, shorter journeys.
Environment 2 (E2) – outside built-up areas, lower population density, higher speeds; longer journeys; narrow and/or undivided roads; hazards such as livestock, wildlife, trees close to the road; heavy vehicle traffic at higher speeds.
Environment 3 (E3) – outside built-up areas with extreme risk factors, for example, long steep roads with precipitous drop-offs; high volumes of heavy vehicle traffic at high speeds; narrow, unsealed, winding, undivided roads; blackspots, climate conditions such as fog, snow and ice.
Competency interview
Competency interviews ensure only qualified individuals are permitted to run bus businesses in Victoria.
Applicants must answer questions and provide supporting info – including criminal record checks – to determine whether an applicant is a fit and proper person.
The test also applies to potential ‘responsible persons’ and to people who meet the definition of ‘relevant person’ under the Bus Safety Act 2009 (Vic).
For more information, contact bus.safety@safetransport.vic.gov.au
Pay your bus accreditation fees
Application
There is an application fee for bus operator accreditation, with an invoice sent to your nominated email address after your application is submitted.
Annual fee
An accredited bus operator must pay an annual accreditation fee:
- within 14 days after being granted accreditation in the first year; and
- within 14 days after the anniversary of the date of the granting of the accreditation in each subsequent year.
Annual fee’s are sent to the operator electronically.
For previously registered bus operators deemed to be accredited on 1 March 2022 under amendments to the Bus Safety Act 2009 and Bus Safety Regulations (2020), fees will be waived in the first year. A decreasing discount will then be applied to annual fees for the following three years.
Payment options will be listed on your invoice along with your reference number.
The table below provides details of the fees for bus service operators.
| Fee type | Amount |
| Application for bus operator accreditation | $611.60 |
| Annual accreditation base fee (inclusive of 1 bus) | $152.90 |
| Annual additional bus fee (for each additional bus) | $84.10 |
Get your accredited bus number plates
All accredited bus operators in Victoria must display accredited bus number plates. These are supplied by VicRoads.
Accredited bus number plates should look like this:
** Please note, the green and white plates are the only accredited bus number plates now issued by VicRoads, although the previous style of blue and white remain valid for the life of the accredited bus to which they were first issued.
In order to obtain accredited bus number plates you will need a current certificate of accreditation.
If you transitioned from being a registered bus operator to an accredited bus operator you can continue using your existing standard issue number plates on all buses in your current fleet until you decide to sell or decommission them.
However, any new buses that have entered your fleet from the 1st of March 2023 must have accredited bus number plates installed.
This means that you will have a combination of buses in your fleet with both standard issue number plates and accredited bus number plates until you replace your existing fleet. While this phased-out process will save you time and money and avoid double handling in the short term, it will take several years to complete.
If you were previously registered and have yet to seek your replacement certificate, please contact ST Vic via email on bus.safety@safetransport.vic.gov.au and request that a certificate of accreditation be issued for your organisation.
We will issue your certificate/s of accreditation electronically. Please include the following information in your email to ST Vic:
- your full name
- organisation name
- previously issued RO number e.g. RO123456 (if applicable)
- operating address
- email address
- phone number
- fleet size
VicRoads will ask for this certificate to prove your status as an accredited bus operator before exchanging your standard issue number plates for accredited bus number plates. You can then proceed to install these accredited bus number plates on your buses.
Please note that there is a cost to exchange number plates, please contact your local VicRoads office to understand costs and payment options.
Notify us about changes in your circumstances
If a relevant change in circumstances occurs with respect to an accreditation or an accredited bus operator, the accredited bus operator must notify ST Vic of the change in writing within 7 days after becoming aware of the change. Notifications can be sent via email to bus.safety@safetransport.vic.gov.au.
A relevant change in circumstances is one that has resulted or will result in any particular set out in:
- the application for accreditation, or
- in any document that accompanied that application or was supplied to ST Vic in connection with it, or the certificate of accreditation, becoming inaccurate or inapplicable, or
- with respect to the manner of operating the commercial bus service or local bus service that has resulted or will or may result in the accredited bus operator not being able to comply with a requirement
- that has resulted or will or may result in a ground for refusal of accreditation referred to in s 27 or s 28, Bus Safety Act becoming applicable to the accredited bus operator, or
- with respect to the number of buses or bus services being operated by the accredited bus operator.
If the relevant change in circumstances makes any detail of the certificate inaccurate or inapplicable, the accredited operator must notify us of the change and surrender the certificate.
If this is the case, we may insist on any necessary information (including a criminal records check) we need to decide whether or not it is appropriate for the operator to continue to be accredited.
Compliance with Bus Safety Regulations
An accredited bus operator must ensure that every bus used in the provision of the bus service complies with, or is operated in accordance with, the Bus Safety Regulations.
Displaying Accreditation Number
Operators must display their accreditation number on their buses next to the front passenger loading door, in a position and colour that is clearly visible from outside the bus and in characters at least 50mm high and of proportionate width.
Identification numbers can be made from professional custom stickers, adhesive letters and numbers combined or a printout taped inside a window.
What if my accreditation is refused?
Accreditation may be refused if the applicant or relevant person:
- has been found guilty of a tier 1 offence
- has previously had accreditation cancelled
- is insolvent, in receivership, under administration or winding up.
You can contact us for more information.
Apply for an exemption
Bus operators may apply for an exemption from some of the provisions of accreditation or registration in certain circumstances.
An exemption will be considered when a bus operator can show the regulatory burden they face is ‘excessive’ or ‘unreasonable’. This will be determined in accordance with the Bus Safety Regulations (BSR).
To be granted an exemption, a bus operator must demonstrate:
- That the exemption will not reduce the safe operation of the bus
- The competence and capacity to manage the risks to safety posed by the exemption, and
- The means to meet reasonable accident liabilities.
This is not an exhaustive list and operators intending to apply for an exemption should consult the BSR and the exemption guidelines.
Most bus operators should be able to comply with the requirements of the Bus Safety Act (BSA) and BSR without needing to seek an exemption.
If an exemption is granted, the bus operator is only exempt from the specific requirements nominated. All other requirements of the BSA and BSR must be complied with, including safety duties.
More information about the circumstances in which an exemption may be sought, and how an application for exemption will be received, assessed and finalised, is contained in the following guidelines.
You can apply for a Bus Operator Exemption here.
Compliance with Bus Safety Regulations
An accredited bus operator must ensure that every bus used in the provision of the bus service complies with, or is operated in accordance with, the Bus Safety Regulations.
Annual audits
An accredited bus operator must complete an audit at least annually of their management information system and their maintenance management system to identify any deficiencies and must rectify any deficiencies found during the audit or because of the audit.
Identification
Operators must display their accreditation or registration number on their buses next to the front passenger loading door, in a position and colour that is clearly visible from outside the bus and in characters at least 50mm high and of proportionate width.
Identification numbers can be made from professional custom stickers, adhesive letters and numbers combined or a printout taped inside a window.