Public Service Vehicle accessibility certificate

Vehicles which need an accessibility certificate

Most buses and coaches built to carry more than 22 passengers and used on scheduled services must be fitted with accessibility features and have an accessibility certificate.

Scheduled service means a service, using one or more public service vehicles, for the carriage of passengers at separate fares:

• along certain routes
• at certain times with passengers being taken up and set down at predetermined stopping points

Applying for an accessibility certificate

You will need to apply using the application for a Public Service Vehicle accessibility certificate (DDA1). Application forms can be downloaded. You should apply for a certificate at least six weeks before you need it. Tests are carried out at the DVA Mallusk test centre.

Email the filled in forms to the address at the link below.

• Driver and Vehicle Agency - specialist testing

Once the application has been cleared for testing, DVA staff will contact you by phone to reserve an appointment. The reserved appointment date and time will be emailed to you. You will then follow the link in the reservation notice to the online booking system and make payment for the test by credit or debit card.

Replace lost or stolen accessibility certificate

You can pay online for a duplicate accessibility certificate to replace a lost certificate.  The fee for a duplicate accessibility certificate is £10.00.

• Pay for duplicate accessibility certificate

Accessibility certificate test

The test is a one-time inspection for some buses and coaches which checks their accessibility features. The features are needed to make sure that public service vehicles are accessible to passengers with disabilities.  For more information, see the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.

Vehicle legal rules

Buses and coaches which can carry more than 22 passengers and which are used on scheduled services must be fitted with both wheelchair and general accessibility features.

‘Bus’ means a public service vehicle designed and built for both seated and standing passengers (more than 22 passengers)

‘Coach’ means a public service vehicle designed and built for seated passengers only (more than 22 passengers)

However, certain exemptions apply:

• coaches (vehicles built to carry seated passengers only) first used before 31 August 2003 are exempt certification for wheelchair and general accessibility features until 1 September 2022
• coaches first used on or after 31 August 2003 and before 1 September 2007 are exempt certification for wheelchair features only until 1 September 2022 however these vehicles must be certified for general accessibility
• buses and coaches giving a ‘tour service’ where passengers are carried to a particular location/ s and back to the point of departure may not need an accessibility certificate

Review the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 for full details of exemptions.

Vehicles given accessibility certificates outside Northern Ireland

Many buses and coaches which have been used on scheduled services in England, Scotland and Wales have already been given an accessibility certificate by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). These certificates are accepted in Northern Ireland.

If the certificate has not been given with the vehicle, operators may fill in the form VTP6 and send it to DVSA, who will run checks, contact the operator and if a test was carried out, give a duplicate certificate when they get the right fee.

• Form and submission details

Type approved vehicles

Some buses and coaches have been built and type approved with the accessibility features fitted, whilst others have been type approved without these features.

All type approved buses and coaches need an accessibility test and certificate. However those vehicles that have been type approved with the accessibility features fitted may undergo a less intensive test, where the test will focus on the approval certificate and the vehicle’s route and destination board displays.

Operators will need to send evidence of type approval along with their application. This will usually be in the form of a Certificate of Conformity, which is given by the vehicle maker. The document will need to confirm one of the following:

• the vehicle is a Class I Bus
• the vehicle is built to EU Directive 2001/ 85/ EC including annex VII
• the vehicle is built to ECE regulation 107.02 including annex VIII

If the information needed cannot be found on the Certificate of Conformity, the maker's type approval Technical Report may also be needed. Where type approval to the proper standard cannot be confirmed, a full inspection will be needed.

Main items inspected in an accessibility test

The range of items tested depends on the type of vehicle, but may include:

• wheelchair spaces and restraint systems             
• boarding lifts and ramps
• kneeling systems
• floors and gangways
• entrances and exits
• steps
• handrails
• seats
• communication devices
• signage and markings
• lighting
• route and destination displays

Review Schedule one, two and three of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 for full details.

 Appealing the decision

Appeals must be made in writing within 28 days of the original decision. They must include a statement outlining the specific grounds of the appeal. The vehicle will be re-examined and, if successful, an accessibility certificate will be given.

Making a complaint

If you have a complaint, you should try and resolve it before leaving the test centre in the first instance.

• Complain or claim compensation from DVA 

Summary of legal rules