ANOTHER Bendigo bus operator's accreditation has been suspended after its fleet was declared unsafe.
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The operator, which can't be named due to privacy legislation, was given a prohibition notice from Bus Safety Victoria on Monday, January 13 to stop its buses until further notice.
BSV director Lisa Faldon said the authority then conducted an audit of the operator's fleet and deemed all eight buses unroadworthy.
"In addition to the poor condition of the bus fleet, I have taken this action because of a number of issues with this operator's safety management systems," Ms Faldon said.
"I question the extent to which this operator is able to meet their responsibilities to adhere to requirements of Victorian bus safety laws.
"This operator is not permitted to provide a bus service while the suspension is in place."
Ms Faldon said the buses had major safety issues, including defective suspension, worn brakes, and unroadworthy tires.
The BSV found the operator also gave its accreditation to another person to operate a bus service, which is illegal under the Bus Safety Act.
"The bus industry is close-knit and proud of its safety record," Ms Faldon said.
"I'm sure operators who do the right thing will be pleased to hear this unsafe operator has been suspended."
The decision comes after a different Bendigo bus operator had its accreditation suspended in September.
Fourteen buses were issued with defect notices during the joint Victoria Police and Bus Safety Victoria operation.
BSV said it suspended the operator's accreditation because of several serious incidents, the unroadworthy condition of the bus fleet, and non-compliance with safety management.
Ms Faldon said the transport regulator was unaware of any formal links between the two bus operators.
"Bendigo is not the specific focus of our compliance activities," she said.
"The two operators came to our attention from in-field compliance activities and incidents - in the case of the first suspended operator - in other parts of the state.
"This triggered the operational audits that highlighted the issues of concern."
Ms Faldon said the latest suspension would remain in place until the operator demonstrated it had addressed all of its deficiencies.
All buses would also require a certificate of roadworthiness, Ms Faldon said.
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