Accredited bus special issue number plates may only be issued to buses operated by accredited providers, who have been granted Bus Operator accreditation by the Director, Public Transport Safety Victoria (PTSV) to operate bus services.
Accredited bus special issue number plates may only be issued to vehicles with 13 or more seats, including the driver's seat. Operators of vehicle's with a lower seating capacity should contact the Victorian Taxi Directorate.
All buses operating within or partially within the state of Victoria must be operated by accredited bus operators. This includes anyone who operates a bus with 13 or more seats, including the driver's seat, but excludes buses used for private domestic purposes.
All buses operated by accredited operators must display a number plate identifying the bus as being operated by an accredited operator unless the bus is registered in another state or territory in Australia or an exemption has been provided by the Safety Director (note that alternative procedures for displaying the relevant accreditation number are applicable in these circumstances - see the PTSV Bus Accreditation HelpKit for more information).
Where an exemption has been provided to allow an accredited operator to retain personalised number plates on the vehicle, this exemption only applies in respect to the vehicle in question (ie. the number plates cannot be transferred to a new bus - the new bus must display the standard accredited bus plates.
An operator who applies to VicRoads for registration of vehicles with the accredited bus plates must provide proof that they are an accredited bus operator. Proof must be the original letter granting accreditation, signed by the Director, Public Transport Safety Victoria, prescribing the category of accredited plate to be issued. If the person is an accredited bus operator but the bus is to be registered in the name of another person, the person must provide additional written confirmation that the PTSV has agreed that the accredited person is the person operating the bus service.
The accredited bus number plates and registration transactions are available form the following VicRoads Customer Service Centres:
Broadmeadows
Burwood East
Frankston
Bundoora
Oakleigh South
Sunshine
Hoppers Crossing
Ararat
Bairnsdale
Ballarat
Benalla
Bendigo
Colac
Echuca
Geelong
Hamilton
Horsham
Kyneton
Leongatha
|
Maryborough
Mildura
Morwell
Portland
Sale
Seymour
Shepparton
Swan Hill
Wangaratta
Warragul
Warrnambool
Wodonga
|
Buses registered through dealerships or VicRoads Customer Service Centres not holding the accredited bus plates should be issued with general issue number plates and a change of number should be applied at one of the customer service centres listed.
The accreditation plates must be removed from any bus not operated by an accredited operator, and fitted with general issue number plates.
Transfer of registration between operators with the accreditation plates fitted is permitted provided that each operator holds the same accreditation category.
Once issued, the plates must remain on the vehicle to which they are assigned until they are cancelled, a change of number is affected, or the plates are transferred to another vehicle.
Number plates issued to buses operated by accredited persons have blue characters on a white background with four numbers followed by a suffix of one of the following sets of letters:
AO = Accredited Operator
AC = Accredited Charter
SO = School Operator
NC = Non Commercial
Here are some examples of accredited bus number plates:
www.ptsv.vic.gov.auFor registration and licensing information, call VicRoads on 13 11 71 Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5.00pm, Sat 8.30am - 2.00pm
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