Reason why buses don't have seatbelts

Ever wondered why buses don't have seatbelts? Even if your answer is no, bet you're thinking about it now, eh?

UK law is strict when it comes to cars and smaller vehicles - anyone sitting in a seat where a belt is fitted must wear it.

Drivers or passengers caught not wearing one when they're supposed to face a fine of up to £500.

So why are these rules thrown out the window when it comes to buses? There are actually a few reasons, and they're pretty damn logical when you think about it.

TikToker Sherif El Sahly shared this bit of trivia in one of his latest videos, saying: "Some of the old buses had seatbelts but then the people who made the buses decided to remove them because they were kind of pointless.

"If a car were ever to crash into a bus, nothing would happen to the passengers and they won't go flying around."

Told you it was logical. Buses are huge, cars are not - as such, there's no way a car or van could generate the same impact as it would if the situation were flipped.

The same goes if the driver breaks really hard. Sahly goes on to say: "The breaks on a bus aren't as good as an actual car so the passengers won't be affected."

And the last reason has to do with safety. Wearing seatbelts on buses is actually riskier than not as there could be a fire.

"If there's a fire on the bus, the bus driver has to get everyone out of the bus as quickly as possible and the seatbelts will slow the process down."

These comments were elaborated on by a real bus driver, who goes by the name Jodi on TikTok.

Answering the same question, she explains: "So the reason we don't have seatbelts is something called compartmentalisation, which effectively is high seat backs and not a lot of room in between the seats.

"So when a student is sitting properly and we get into an accident, they fly forward and hit the seat in front of them, [with] this lovely seat cushioning their impact."

While this works well at lower speeds, Jodi has seatbelts on her vehicle as the route involves driving down a motorway.

"A crash at 40 kilometres an hour versus 100 kilometres an hour is a totally different scenario," she points out.

As for the UK, the government states that as of October 2001, seatbelts have been required to be installed in each forward and rearward facing seat in all new buses.

So why do we hardly ever see them? According to the website: "The only exemption from this requirement is for buses that are designed for urban use with standing passengers.

"An exemption is permitted for these vehicles because they are typically used for short journeys, in both time and distance, undertaken at moderate speeds on urban routes.

"Although we are aware that vehicles equipped with seat belts are used by some operators for urban fare paying services, ultimately, it is for the operator to choose the type of vehicle used to provide a service."