The government has repealed Section 8D of the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) Regulations, following a notice and a legal supplement published today in the Government Gazette. The provision had mandated seat belt use on franchised and non-franchised buses.

At a press conference today, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan said the Government will launch a public consultation to collect views on the matter.

“At the present moment, we have received and collected, gathered different views, suggestions and concerns, regarding the wearing of seat belts on buses.”

“We would like to hope that with public consultation and the views collected, this will enable us to explore actively or examine different feasible options,” she added.

“We must be more careful and also be very serious in examining and in taking forward an important legislative exercise such as this seat belt legislation, so that we can make sure that in future legislative exercises, we can be foolproof in our preparation in ensuring the policy and legislative intent are fully reflected in the legislation,” the transport chief said.