Emergency doors on buses and coaches

When the emergency doors on buses and coaches (PSVs) are not functioning correctly, there is a risk that passengers may:

•            not be able to open the door in an emergency

•            inadvertently open the door while the vehicle is moving

Both situations present clear risks to passengers – not being able to exit the vehicle in the event of an accident and falling out of the vehicle into oncoming traffic.

Check your emergency doors

In partnership with the Confederation for Passenger Transport (CPT), we're asking vehicle operators to ensure their drivers are performing checks on emergency doors – so you and they know the doors are working as they should be.

Other doors and exits, including service doors used by passengers in normal circumstances, should also be subject to driver checks to make sure they are working correctly.

Some vehicle operators choose to install additional systems which further prevent unintentional operation of the emergency door, such as motion sensed locking systems which activate at a predetermined speed.

Further guidance

Section 16 of the PSV inspection manual covers emergency exits and service doors.

Some items associated with emergency doors are classed as ‘major’ deficiencies at annual test.

PSV Inspection Manual:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/psv-inspection-manual