09/04/2018
With major changes to the NSW transport legislation, it is important to get to know who you will be traveling with to the snow this year and ensure that they have all the neccessary accreditations to ensure your safety. Many travellers do not realize that parts of the NSW transport industry have become self regulated with the onus on the transport provider to ensure he is complying with all recommended rules and regulations. This leaves alot to be desired in my view!
Because we are a NSW registered bus operator (NSW Accreditation number 35095), we are still under full scrutiny of the NSW goverment and institutions such as RMS. This means that all our vehicles are inspected twice a year under the Heavy Vehicle inspection Scheme. This is a rigorous inspection that ensures that all our vehicles are meeting all requirements under the Passenger Transport Act and ensuring your safety as a passenger. As a bus operator, we maintain extensive vehicle maintenance systems and safety management systems that are audited by the NSW government every 3 years.
To add to that, we are also accredited as a bus operator in the ACT (ACT Accreditation Number ACTBS071TC) which means we are under scrutiny by both states. This is even better for you! This ACT bus operator accreditation is essential for any transport company that is picking up in the ACT. That is, if you are based in NSW you must have both accreditations to operate legally across the border - something that alot of transport operators prefer to overlook.
Before choosing your transport provider this year, we recommend that you check the following goverment websites:
NSW Bus Operators can be found on this site: https://transportnsw.info/operator
Search for us with "Snow Alliance"
ACT Bus Operators can be found on this site:
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2141/~/bus-service-accreditation-in-the-act #!tabs-4
To pickup in the ACT, particularly Canberra Airport, the transport company must be listed here.
We are listed as Hummingbird Charters Pty Ltd trading as Snow Alliance on both this page.
We also hold a current business licence with Canberra Airport which means we are given priority parking on the concourse and the airport pickup fees of $60.50 is payable. This business licence is applicable to any transport company that is picking up legally within the airport. If you recieve a quote without this fee included it is likely that the person is not licenced or accredited in the ACT.
To truly set us apart from the other transport companies all our drivers have completed an advanced driver training course - training that no other company offers their drivers to date. As part of their training they have completed skid pan training and training in emergency braking techniques which are both crucial for our snowy roads.
All our drivers have also obtained their NSW Snow Licence which is card that certifies that they have completed the required training to drive a public passenger vehicle into Kosciuzko National Park and over the snow line. This includes being trained in driving in snow and ice conditions and fitting of chains. As far as I am aware, tthe NSW Goverment has not released any information as to how this licence will be enforced under the new Point to Point transport regulatory framework so make sure that you check your driver has a valid snow licence this year.
Our final pieces of paperwork are our NSW Working with Children Checks and our ACT Working with Vulnerable People Cards. This is a requirement for people who work in child-related work and as many of our passengers have families with young children it is an essential document for all our drivers to have. It involves a national criminal history check and a review of findings of workplace misconduct.
We take great pride in our company and ensuring that all NSW and ACT regulations are complied with.
