Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 1981/257 |
1981 No. 257
ROAD TRAFFIC
The Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 198123rdFebruary 1981
10thMarch 1981
1stApril 1981
ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Regulation
Commencement and citation 1
Revocation 2
Interpretation 3
Exemption for the Crown and visiting force vehicles 4
PART II
REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE CONDITIONS AS TO FITNESS OF PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES
Conditions of fitness 5
Stability 6
Suspension 7
Guard rails 8
Brakes 9
Brake and steering connections 10
Locking of nuts 11
Steering 12
Fuel tanks, carburettors, etc. 13
Exhaust pipe 14
Luggage racks 15
Artificial lighting 16
Electrical equipment 17
Body 18
Height of sides of body 19
Steps, platforms and stairs 20
Number, position and size of entrances and exits 21
Width of entrances and exits 22
Doors 23
Marking, positioning and operation of emergency exits 24
Access to exits 25
Width of gangways 26
Height of gangways 27
Seats 28
Passenger protection 29
Ventilation 30
Driver's accommodation 31
Windscreens 32
Passengers' communication with driver 33
General construction 34
PART III
REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE EQUIPMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES
Fire extinguishing apparatus 35
First aid equipment 36
PART IV
REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE USE OF PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES
Obstruction of entrances, exits and gangways 37
Obstruction of driver 38
Body maintenance 39
Lamps 40
Use of device for operating power-operated doors 41
Filling of petrol tank 42
Carriage of conductor 43
Carriage of inflammable or dangerous substances 44
Markings 45
PART V
REGULATIONS RELATING TO CERTIFICATE OF INITIAL FITNESS, APPROVAL AS A TYPE VEHICLE AND CONFORMITY TO AN APPROVED TYPE VEHICLE
Applications and fees for certificate of initial fitness 46
Form of certificate of initial fitness 47
Applications for type approval 48
Copies of drawings and specifications 49
Fees for type approval 50
Form of type approval certificate 51
Form of declaration of conformity to an approved type vehicle 52
Fee for certificate of conformity 53
Form of certificate of conformity 54
Notification of registration mark 55
Appeals relating to applications for a certificate of initial
fitness or for a type approval certificate 56
Issue of duplicate certificates 57
SCHEDULES
Page
1. Regulations revoked by Regulation 2 [30
2. Exceptions from the conditions prescribed in Part II as applicable
to vehicles registered before certain dates 31
3. Conditions prescribed in Regulations in Part II, or provisions
thereof, applicable to certain vehicles bearing a designated
approval mark 35
4. Fire extinguishing apparatus 36
5. First aid equipment 37
6. Form of certificate of initial fitness 38
7. Form of type approval certificate 39
8. Form of declaration as to conformity to an approved type vehicle 40
9. Form of certificate of conformity 41]
The Minister of Transport (hereinafter referred to as "the Minister") in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 130, 159 and 160(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1960(a), section 40(1) and (3) of the Road Traffic Act 1972(b), and sections 17(1) and 28(9) of the Transport Act 1980(c), and now vested in him(d), and of all other enabling powers, and after consultation with representative organisations in accordance with section 260(2) of the said Act of 1960(e) and section 199(2) of the said Act of 1972, and with the Council on Tribunals in accordance with section 10(1) of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1971(f), hereby makes the following Regulations:—
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Commencement and citation
1. These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st April 1981 and may be cited as the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981.
Revocation
2. The Regulations specified in column (1) of Schedule 1 are hereby revoked to the extent specified in column (2) of that Schedule.
Interpretation
3.—(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them:—
"the Act" means the Road Traffic Act 1960;
(a) 1960 c. 16; section 130 of which Act has been amended by section 43 of, and paragraph 2 of Part I of Schedule 5 to, the Transport Act 1980 (c.34); section 159 of which Act has been amended by section 38 of the Transport Act 1980; and section 160(1) of which Act has been amended by section 43 of, and paragraph 11 of Part I of Schedule 5 to, the Transport Act 1980.
(b) 1972 c. 20.
(c) 1980 c. 34.
(d) As regards 1960 c. 16 by S.I. 1970/1681 and 1979/571, and as regards 1972 c. 20 by S.I. 1979/571.
(e) 1960 c. 16; section 260(2) of which Act has been amended by section 43 of, and paragraph 15 of Part I of Schedule 5 to, the Transport Act 1980.
(f) 1971 c. 62.
"articulated bus" means a passenger vehicle so constructed that—
(a) it can be divided into two parts, both of which are vehicles and one of which is a motor vehicle, but cannot be so divided without the use of facilities normally available only at a workshop; and
(b) passengers carried by it when not so divided can at all times pass from either part to the other;
"certificate of conformity" means a certificate issued by the Minister in pursuance of section 130(2) of the Act;
"certificate of initial fitness" has the same meaning as in section 17 of the Transport Act 1980;
"the Commissioners" means the traffic commissioners for any traffic area constituted for the purposes of Part III of the Act;
"deck" means a floor or platform upon which seats are provided for the accommodation of passengers;
"double-decked vehicle" means a vehicle having two decks one of which is wholly or partly above the other and each deck of which is provided with a gangway serving seats on that deck only;
"ECE Regulation 36" means Regulation No. 36 (uniform provisions concerning the construction of public service vehicles) which entered into force on 1st March 1976, annexed to the Agreement concerning the adoption of uniform conditions of approval and reciprocal recognition of approval for motor vehicle equipment and parts concluded at Geneva on 20th March 1958(a) as amended(b), to which the United Kingdom is a party(c);
"emergency exit" means an exit which is provided for use only in case of emergency;
"entrance" means any aperture or space provided to enable passengers to board the vehicle;
"exit" means any aperture or space provided to enable passengers to leave the vehicle;
"gangway" means the space provided for obtaining access from any entrance to the passengers' seats or from any such seat to an exit other than an emergency exit but does not include a staircase or any space in front of a seat or row of seats which is required only for the use of passengers occupying that seat or that row of seats;
"half-decked vehicle" means any vehicle not being a single-decked vehicle or a double-decked vehicle;
"permanent top" means any covering of a vehicle other than a hood made of canvas or other flexible material which is capable of being readily folded back so that no portion of such hood or any fixed structure of the roof remains vertically above any part of any seat of the vehicle, or, in the case of a double-decked vehicle, of any seat on the upper deck of the vehicle;
"registered" in relation to a vehicle, means registered under the Roads Act 1920(d) or, as the case may be, the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1949(e), the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1962(f) or the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971(g) and references to a vehicle being registered are references to the date on which it was first so registered;
(a) Cmnd. 2535.
(b) Cmnd. 3562.
(c) By Instrument of accession dated 14th January 1963 deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 15th January 1963.
(d) 1920 c. 72.
(e) 1949 c. 89.
(f) 1962 c. 13.
(g) 1971 c. 10.
"safety glass", "safety glazing" and "specified safety glass" have the same meanings as are respectively assigned to them in Regulation 26(12) of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1978(a);
"single-decked vehicle" means a vehicle on which no part of a deck or gangway is placed vertically above another deck or gangway;
"type approval certificate" means a certificate issued by the Minister in pursuance of section 130(1) of the Act;
"vehicle" means a public service vehicle within section 2(1)(a) of the Transport Act 1980; and
"vehicle in the service of a visiting force or headquarters" has the same meaning as in Article 8(6) of the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1965(b).
(2) For the purpose of these Regulations, the date when a motor vehicle is first used shall be taken to be such date as is the earlier of the undermentioned relevant dates applicable to that vehicle, that is to say—
(a) in the case of a vehicle registered under the Roads Act 1920, the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1949, the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1962 or the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971 the relevant date is the date on which it was first so registered; and
(b) in each of the following cases, that is to say—
(i) in the case of a vehicle which is being or has been used under a trade licence within the meaning of section 16(1) of the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971 (otherwise than for the purposes of demonstration or testing or of being delivered from premises of the manufacturer by whom it was made, or of a distributor of vehicles or dealer in vehicles to premises of a distributor of vehicles, dealer in vehicles or purchaser thereof, or to premises of a person obtaining possession thereof under a hiring agreement or hire purchase agreement);
(ii) in the case of a vehicle belonging, or which has belonged, to the Crown which is or was used or appropriated for use for naval, military or air force purposes;
(iii) in the case of a vehicle belonging, or which has belonged, to a visiting force or a headquarters within the meaning of Article 3 of the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law)...
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