The Department for Transport has confirmed that the second application window for home-to-school coach PSVAR exemptions closed on 8 September 2026.
The exemptions apply across England, Scotland and Wales and cover operators using coaches that do not comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 on closed-door home-to-school services. Eligible passengers include pupils and students using the service, their supervisors or escorts, and people involved in providing education or training at the establishment served.
Operators seeking an exemption for work from 1 August 2026 had to submit their operator licence number and the vehicle identification number for every non-compliant coach they intended to use. They were also required to provide fleet and accessibility-compliance figures calculated as at 1 May 2026.
DVSA warned that it could not guarantee that applications submitted after the deadline would be processed or that the relevant coaches would be included in an exemption order.
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Where granted, the new exemptions started on 11 August 2026 and replace earlier exemptions which expired on 31 July 2026. They are due to run for four years, expiring on 10 August 2030. The DfT says it currently has no plans to issue further exemptions beyond that date.
The exemptions remain conditional. Operators must retain a minimum proportion of fully PSVAR-compliant coaches in their overall fleet, based on the position declared in their application. A fully compliant coach is one with the required accessibility or approval certification under the Equality Act 2010.
The baseline requirement for compliant vehicles in an operator’s home-to-school and rail-replacement fleet ranged from one coach for fleets of up to five vehicles to 35% for fleets of 30 or more vehicles. The continuing condition is expressed as a proportion of the operator’s overall coach fleet.
If a valid request is made for an accessible coach, an operator using the exemption must provide one where available within two calendar months, without charging more than for a standard coach.
An exemption can be withdrawn by the Secretary of State and becomes invalid if its conditions are breached. Any resulting non-compliance may lead to DVSA enforcement action. From 1 February 2027, newly registered or newly delivered coaches carrying more than 22 passengers and used on services must be PSVAR-enabled, subject to specified exemptions.
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