Passenger Rights and obligations

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Passenger Transport Regulation 2007

No offensive behaviour or language

A passenger must not, in or on a public passenger vehicle:

  • behave in an offensive manner, or
  • use any offensive language, or
  • wilfully interfere with the comfort or safety of other persons, or
  • put his or her feet on a seat, or
  • spit

No Smoking

A passenger must not smoke any substance in or on any public passenger vehicle.

Limitation on eating and drinking

A passenger must not:

  • drink any intoxicating liquor on a public passenger vehicle, or
  • eat or drink on any bus, or part of a bus, in which eating and drinking is prohibited by signs displayed in the bus.

However, nothing in this clause prohibits a passenger from drinking water, or from eating or drinking for medical reasons, in or on a public passenger vehicle.
Drink, in relation to intoxicating liquor, includes being in possession of an opened container of intoxicating liquor.

Pets on Martin's Buses

Customers may also board a bus with a pet such as a dog, cat, bird or other animal. Any such pet must be restrained in a suitable box, basket or other container to be allowed on board as required by the law (NSW Passenger Transport Act and Regulations). The bus driver may refuse to allow a pet on a bus if this poses a risk to the safety of other passengers or the bus. Pets that are not clean, appear vicious, or likely to annoy, threaten or inconvenience other passengers will not be allowed on a bus.

Does not apply to an assistance animal or an assistance animal in training.

Direction to leave public passenger vehicle

If, in the opinion of the driver of the bus a person’s body, clothing or luggage (or any other thing on or carried by the person):
  • may soil or damage the public passenger vehicle or the clothing or luggage of other passengers, or
  • is of such a size or has such dimensions that it cannot be accommodated in the public passenger vehicle without inconvenience or danger to other passengers or to the driver, or
  • the person is otherwise causing, or is likely to cause, a nuisance or annoyance to other passengers or to the driver (whether because the person is under the influence of alcohol or a drug, or for any other reason), or
  • the person is committing an offence under this Regulation in or on a public passenger vehicle, the driver or authorised officer may direct the person to leave, or not to enter, the public passenger vehicle.
A person who is given such a direction must comply with it.

Lost Property

A passenger who finds any article in or on a public passenger vehicle must:
  • return the article to its owner, or give it to the driver of the public passenger vehicle or to an authorised officer.

No Wilful Damage

A passenger must not wilfully damage any part of a public passenger vehicle.

  • No removal of property
  • A passenger must not remove any property of the driver or operator from any public passenger vehicle.

No littering

A passenger must not in or on any public passenger vehicle:

  • Deposit any litter otherwise than in receptacle provided for that purpose, or
  • Deposit any thing that may endanger any person or property.

No Throwing

A passenger must not, without reasonable excuse, throw any thing in or from a public passenger vehicle.

Driver to take action in relation to dangerous conduct

The driver of a public passenger vehicle must take such action as is appropriate (for example, contacting the operator or the police for help) if the driver believes on reasonable grounds that the conduct of a passenger is endangering the safety of any person.

No unauthorised commercial activities

A passenger must not carry on a commercial activity on any bus or except with the written permission of the bus operator. For the purposes of this clause, a commercial activity means any one or more of the following:
  • the sale or hire (or the offer of sale or hire) of any thing,
  • the touting or soliciting for custom, hire or employment,
  • the distribution of handbills to any person,
  • the soliciting of money from any person (whether by way of busking or otherwise).

Entry to and exit from buses

A passenger must not, without reasonable excuse, enter or leave a bus:

  • while the bus is in motion, or
  • by getting through a window.

No travel allowed on certain parts of bus

A passenger must not, without reasonable excuse, travel on any portion of a bus not intended for the conveyance of passengers. Without limiting subclause (1), portions of a bus not intended for the conveyance of passengers include the following:
  • the roof, steps and footboard,
  • the stairs of a two-decked bus.
No entry to driver’s compartment of bus
  • A passenger must not enter the driver’s compartment of a bus.

No interference with equipment on buses

A passenger must not, without reasonable excuse, interfere with any equipment attached to or forming part of a bus, or:

  • block a bus door, or
    open a locked bus door at any time, or
  • open an unlocked bus door while the bus is in motion, or
  • in any way interfere with an automatically operated bus door, or
  • use the public address or other communications system

No scooters or rollerblades or the like

A passenger must not use a scooter or skateboard, or roller blades or roller skates, or the like, on a bus.

Aged and Disabled Seating

An operator of a bus service may, by appropriate notices, set aside seating on a bus for persons who are aged or have a disability.

A passenger who is not aged and does not have a disability must not continue to occupy a seat set aside for the aged and persons with disabilities if an aged person or a person with a disability wanting to use the seat (or a person on behalf of that person) asks the passenger to vacate the seat.

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