The federal government has announced all medium to large highway buses built after Sept. 1, 2020 will be required to have seatbelts.
Transport Canada said while buses are safe, seatbelts can make them safer by helping to prevent passengers being thrown from the vehicle during a crash.
It said the seatbelt requirements were first proposed in 2017, and feedback from the industry and stakeholders was considered as rules were finalized.
It also said small buses already have seatbelts, and the new rules do not apply to school buses.
A spotlight was shone on the issue of mandatory seatbelts on buses on April 6, when a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team crashed with a semi-truck in rural Saskatchewan, killing 16 people and injuring another 13 others.
A lawsuit filed this week by parents of one of the players killed in the crash asked for a court order requiring all buses carrying sports teams in Saskatchewan be equipped with seatbelts.
With files from The Canadian Press
