ADAM Bray will always carry the grief of losing his son Zach in the Hunter Valley bus crash, but he is hopeful industry reform will see that no other family experiences such devastating loss.
The horror crash on June 11, 2023, claimed the lives of Zach and nine other wedding guests at a roundabout on Wine Country Drive.
More than a year on, the Bus Industry Taskforce has released its final report, a blueprint to the 'biggest safety improvements to NSW bus services in a generation'.
Mr Bray joined forces with those deeply affected by the crash and has recruited a team of experts to form STOP Bus Tragedies.
He said it was "vitally important" to make sure history never repeated itself and said it is what his son Zach would have wanted.
"He was a Stage Three cancer survivor who became an advocate for early detection of bowel cancer in young people," he said.
"That's probably a pretty delicate way to answer that, that was my son and sure, the grief will remain, but I replace trauma with beautiful, fun, proud, good memories of an amazing man."
The final report zeroes in on measures to ensure every bus is safe and fit-for-purpose, bus drivers are better trained and more safety aware than ever.
Eight of the 19 recommendations put forward are safety-focused.
Mr Bray said the final report comes "pretty close" to meeting his expectations, but said "there's always more to be done".
"It''s important to ensure that these initiatives, these recommendations, are activated, executed and become the new, very high standard for preventative bus safety in NSW," he said.
Mr Bray said it will be up to individual passengers to take responsibility for wearing a seatbelt on buses seriously, but the onus is on the industry and operators to adhere to regulations and do their due diligence when it comes to drivers.
The driver in the Greta case, Brett Button, was driving too fast and was dependent and dosed up on prescription opioid painkiller Tramadol at the time of the crash.
Recommendations in the report include strengthening regulation and ensuring the government can identify, monitor and deal with non-compliant drivers and operators.
Gaps related to vehicle inspection between Transport for NSW (TFNSW) and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator should be addressed, and processes improved to make sure bus drivers are medically fit to drive.
Other recommendations include working with industry to find ways to share driver safety performance data, strengthen driver training requirements and updating the specification for Vehicle Monitoring devices.
NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said buses are a vital form of public transport in regional, rural and remote communities.
"After the Greta bus tragedy, it was clear more needed to be done to keep passengers safe on all buses," she said.
"I'm pleased the bus taskforce made this an urgent priority and a multi-year campaign to promote seatbelt use on buses is now under way."
The taskforce's terms of references were expanded after the fatal Hunter Valley bus crash.
NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said when the taskforce launched more than a year ago, the state's bus services were in "crisis".
"We were more than 500 drivers short, services weren't meeting passenger needs and there was no plan for the future," she said.
"This is a long term plan and program of work for government, but in just one year we've already made progress on the taskforce's recommendations.
"We've funded the medium term bus plan, delivered more bus services for passengers, recruited more drivers, improved passenger safety measures and rolled out new technology to help passengers and drivers."
The state government has asked TFNSW to establish a regulatory transformation program in response to the recommendations.
That program should ensure the legal and regulatory framework supports best-practice safety regulation and that TFNSW has the skills, experience and tools available to support compliance and safety improvements.
TFNSW will engage with key stakeholders including bus operators, BusNSW and unions as part of its reform program.
Other recommendations in the final report cover improving passenger experience and the way TFNSW contracts bus services, including developing the next generation of rural and regional contracts.
The state government has also been recommended to work with industry and unions to implement better driver training and a workforce strategy.
Bus Industry Taskforce chair John Lee said previous neglect was "evident and obvious for all to see".
"Accordingly, there are many areas needing investment and effort to raise the standard of services across the network," he said.
"The early signs are positive.
"Increased funding for services, recognition of the need to implement a medium-term bus plan and a focus within TFNSW to eliminate ghost buses, engage better with bus operators and to apply more resources to bus which is the largest mover of public transport patrons in NSW."
The government has provided in-principle support to the recommendations and will continue to implement them.
