Funding in the 2017/18 budget will mean all buses travelling on dedicated regional school routes will have seatbelts by December 2019, ahead of the current schedule of 2023.

All 2,800 rural and regional buses will have seatbelts by December 2021.

Goulburn MP Pru Goward said all 85 buses in the Goulburn Electorate would have seatbelts because of this commitment.

“This is an important fund that will make sure our kids get to and from school safely,” she said.

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said the installation of seatbelts on the rural and regional bus fleet would be fast tracked to ensure the safety of regional public transport.

“We are fast tracking seatbelts on regional school buses, making sure all regional students can travel on buses with seatbelts by December 2019 – four years ahead of schedule,” he said.

“This is something our communities have been crying out for and I’m committed to making sure kids across the state can travel to school safely.”