Guide · Safety

Seat belts and children on the coach: what the law says

If the seat has a seat belt, everyone aged three and over wears it, the driver too. A child seat or booster seat isn't compulsory on a bus, and the 1.35 metre limit applies in a car, not on a bus. If the bus has no seat belts, everyone may sit without one. Below is where that's written in Dutch law, and what you agree yourself for a school trip.

Part 1 of 6

The rule in three sentences

On a bus with seat belts, everyone aged three and over uses the belt as soon as they're in their seat and the bus is moving. A child under three may sit without one, and on a bus doesn't even need their own seat. If the bus has no seat belts at all, no rule applies: everyone sits without a belt, adults and children alike.

This is set out in two articles of the Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens, the Dutch traffic regulations, and the Dutch government (Rijksoverheid) and the ANWB, the Dutch motoring association, say the same in their own words. Below they are side by side, with where you can check them yourself.

A diagram: a coach seen from above. If every seat has a seat belt, everyone aged three and over wears it, the driver too.

Source

What the law says, article by article

Article 59a: the seat belt on a bus

Paragraph 1: the driver of a bus and their passengers aged 3 or over use the seat belt or child restraint system the bus is fitted with, when they're in their seat and the bus is on the road.
Paragraph 2: passengers are told that the seat belt is compulsory. This is done by the driver, the conductor, the tour leader or an appointed group leader, or by audiovisual means, a sign or a pictogram on every seat.
Paragraph 3: anyone sitting on a bus with standing room, and anyone travelling on a timetabled urban or regional service within a built-up area, doesn't have to use a seat belt.
Paragraph 4: the driver may only carry passengers under 12 as this article prescribes.

Source: Dutch Traffic Rules and Signs Regulations 1990 (RVV 1990), article 59a, version in force from 1 July 2026, read on 9 October 2026.

Article 58a and article 1: under three, and what a bus is

Article 58a, paragraph 2, under d: passengers under 3 on a bus are exempt from the rule that everyone sits in their own seat.
Article 1: a bus (autobus) is a motor vehicle for carrying more than eight people, not counting the driver.
Article 59, with the 1.35 metre rule and the child seat, is about cars, vans, three-wheeled motor vehicles with a closed body and microcars.

Source: Dutch Traffic Rules and Signs Regulations 1990 (RVV 1990), article 58a and article 1, version in force from 1 July 2026, read on 9 October 2026.

What the Dutch government and the ANWB say

On a bus running a scheduled service within a built-up area, you don't have to wear a seat belt.
On other buses and on coaches with seat belts, you do have to use the seat belt.

Source: Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), when do I have to wear a seat belt?, read on 9 October 2026.

A child seat isn't compulsory on a bus.
Children aged 3 and over use the seat belts, where fitted.
If there are no seat belts on the bus, all passengers may sit without one, adults and children alike.
Children under 3 may sit without a belt, on a bus with or without seat belts.

Source: ANWB, rules for transporting children in the Netherlands, read on 9 October 2026.

This is a summary in our own words. The text that applies is on wetten.overheid.nl.

Part 2 of 6

Car or bus: why the 1.35 metre rule doesn't apply here

The rule almost everyone knows, a child seat up to 1.35 metres, is in article 59 and is about cars and vans. In law, a bus is something else: a motor vehicle for more than eight people, not counting the driver. Article 59a applies to those buses, and it mentions no height and no compulsory seat.

Take care with a small vehicle. A people carrier with at most eight passenger seats is not a bus in law but a car, and then the car rule does apply, with the exceptions article 59 makes for taxis. If you're travelling with a small group of young children, check whether you're hiring a bus with more than eight seats or a people carrier.

Part 3 of 6

Can a child use a booster seat anyway?

Yes. Article 59a mentions the seat belt and the child restraint system the bus is fitted with; so the duty is to use what's there, not to bring something along. If a parent wants their child to sit on their own booster seat, the law doesn't stop that. Ask the coach company in advance whether such a seat fits their seats and belts, and agree who takes it home again after the journey.

Part 4 of 6

Who says the seat belt has to be worn?

The law says passengers must be told, and names three ways of doing it. It can be done by the driver, the conductor, the tour leader or someone appointed as group leader. It can be done with an announcement or a video. And it can be done with a sign or the seat belt pictogram on every seat. So it doesn't have to be the driver, nor only a teacher.

On top of that, the law puts a separate duty on the driver: they may only carry children under twelve as the article prescribes. An eight-year-old without a belt on a bus with seat belts is therefore not just the school's business. So agree before departure who says it, so that the driver and the supervisors aren't waiting for each other.

Part 5 of 6

The scheduled bus and the bus with standing room

There are two exceptions, and they explain why you never wear a seat belt on a city bus. On a bus where standing is allowed, nobody has to use a seat belt. Nor on a bus running a timetabled urban or regional service within a built-up area. A coach you hire for a school trip or an outing doesn't run to a timetable. So the exceptions don't apply to that vehicle, even if the journey stays within the city.

Part 6 of 6

What you arrange yourself for a school trip

The law says what has to happen; how it goes on the day itself is something you agree. These are the points a school or club gets the most out of:

Ask the coach company whether all seats have a seat belt. Put it in your request if you want to be sure.
Agree who reminds the children about their seat belts: the driver at departure, a fixed supervisor per row, or both. Do it again after every stop.
Tell the children in class beforehand, with the reason why. A child who knows why keeps it on for longer.
Have a supervisor get on the coach last, so someone sees that everyone is seated before it leaves.
If a parent wants to send a booster seat along, ask in advance whether it fits, and put a name on it.
Include the supervisors in the number of seats. A park may require one supervisor per number of pupils; see below.

School trip by coach How many coaches do I need? Example protocol to download

Written and checked by Martijn Smeets, founder of BusOffer.com. Last updated on 10 October 2026.

What the parks say

How many supervisors the parks ask for

The number of supervisors helps decide how many seats you need. This is what the parks with their own page on our site say about it themselves:

Park	What the park says	Source
Efteling	For primary schools there is at most 1 supervisor per 4 children; for secondary schools and mbo (Dutch vocational education) it is 1 per 8.	Efteling, conditions of the school rateread on 6 October 2026
Duinrell	For every 6 pupils, 1 supervisor may come along free: with 30 pupils that makes 5.	Duinrell, school tripsread on 6 October 2026
Burgers' Zoo	The park asks for 1 supervisor per 15 pupils, who gets free admission.	Burgers' Zoo, primary schoolsread on 6 October 2026
Wildlands	For every 15 pupils at least 1 supervisor is required, who stays with the pupils all day. For every 10 paying pupils, 1 supervisor gets free admission. Other supervisors pay the pupil rate, up to at most 1 supervisor per 3 pupils.	Wildlands, conditions for schoolsread on 6 October 2026
Movie Park Germany	For every 10 paying pupils one supervisor may come along for free; extra supervisors pay their own rate.	Movie Park Germany, school groupsread on 10 October 2026
Plopsaland De Panne	Nursery education: one supervisor free for every 10 pupils. Primary and secondary education: one supervisor free for every 15 pupils.	Plopsa, school trip to Plopsaland Belgiumread on 10 October 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do children have to wear a seat belt on a coach?

Yes, if the seat has a seat belt and the child is three or older. That's in article 59a of the Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens, the Dutch traffic regulations, and it applies to the driver and to every passenger.

Is a child seat or booster seat compulsory on a coach?

No. The rule of a child seat up to 1.35 metres is in article 59 and is about cars. On a bus a child seat isn't compulsory. If you want to use one anyway, ask the coach company whether it fits their seats.

May a two-year-old sit on the coach without a seat belt?

Yes. Passengers under three are exempt on a bus, even if there are seat belts. They don't need their own seat either.

Who has to remind the children about their seat belts?

The law names the driver, the conductor, the tour leader or an appointed group leader, and also an announcement, a sign or a pictogram on every seat. For a school trip, agree in advance who will do it.

What if the coach has no seat belts?

Then everyone may sit without one, adults and children alike. If you want to be sure there are seat belts, put that in your request so the coach company can take it into account.

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