Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment and Use) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Amendment to regulation 21 (seats)

9.—(1) Regulation 21 of the principal Regulations shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) In paragraph (1)–

(a) after the words “Subject to”, there shall be inserted the words “paragraph (5) of this regulation and to”; and

(b) sub-paragraph (f) shall be omitted.

(3) After paragraph (4) there shall be added the following paragraph–

“(5) In the case of a regulated public service vehicle, the provisions of this regulation shall apply with the following modifications–

(a) where, in accordance with paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 2 to the 2003 Regulations, such a vehicle is fitted with priority seats that comply with the requirements set out in paragraph 3(2) of that Schedule, paragraph (1)(d)(ii) and paragraph (1)(g) shall not apply to such seats; and

(b) where seats fitted to such a vehicle comply with the requirements set out in paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 3 to the 2003 Regulations, paragraph (1)(d)(ii) shall not apply to such seats:

Provided that in the case of a seat for more than three passengers, or one or more priority seats in a seat for more than three passengers, and where access to that seat can be obtained only from one end of the seat, there shall be a clear space of–

(i) at least 685 millimetres in front of the backrest of any of those seats (measured from the centre of each complete length of the seat allowed for the accommodation of a seated passenger in accordance with paragraph (1)(b)), and

(ii) 300 millimetres in front of any part of those seats.”.