As I write this, there is still no news on what happens to the existing medium-term exemptions to PSVAR from 1 August 2026, now less than eight months away.
I know that some coach operators are worried as to what the outcome will be, and fear that the delay means there will be no further exemptions (i.e. full compliance required on in-scope home-to-school and rail replacement after 31 July).
I agree that the delay is unfortunate, but I don’t believe that is because it is going to be bad news. Through the trade bodies, the Department for Transport (DfT) undertook some further surveys in late summer/early autumn, and I believe that the data collected is still being worked through. The fact that DfT asked for more data is, I believe, a positive sign.
DfT will be receiving pressure from disability advocacy groups arguing that the industry has had six-and-a-half years from the date of the original deadline to meet compliance with PSVAR, and that that really is enough. However, I also believe that DfT has listened to the trade body representations over vehicle manufacturing capacity, issues with retrofitting, and the obvious challenges of deploying passenger lifts at many locations.
What DfT is now trying to find is a happy medium that demonstrates its commitment to the original PSVAR deadline of January 2020 but that also recognises the many challenges that operators have in the supply of compliant vehicles.
I have a hope that we may hear from DfT just before we all wind down for Christmas, so that there is sufficient time for operators to plan their strategy for compliance levels from 1 August 2026. I also hope that the announcement contains some reference to the PSVAR review call for evidence that took place in the autumn of 2023.
However, if we don’t hear anything until the new year, there are a few things that I believe coach operators can do now in preparation — I must stress, though, that these are my own thoughts and are not based on any official information.
My belief is that the exemptions will continue in some form, because there would be insufficient PSVAR-compliant vehicles to cover all the relevant home-to-school routes operated by coaches. But I also believe there will be an increase in vehicle requirements, because DfT will want to demonstrate its commitment to accessibility. It is difficult to decide by how much, but I think it will be at least the same percentage increase that we experienced in August.
So, for those coach operators running home-to-school services, I would start planning now where those additional compliant vehicles will be coming from. As we experienced earlier in 2025, as the deadline gets closer, the supply of fully compliant vehicles gets scarcer and/or more expensive.
Obviously, I am cautious in suggesting that you part with your hard-earned funds just in case I have got this all wrong. But I think I am not far off the mark. We will see.
May I take this opportunity to wish all those who read this UK Coach Operators Association column a very peaceful and restful holiday, and we look forward to what 2026 brings.
