(30 Dec 2019, 5:55 pm)streetdeckfan wrote But then we have to ask why is it, after all these years, they've only in the past few months realised they had to comply?
Was it a case of them hoping that if they didn't say anything, nobody would realise that the regulations weren't specific enough to include that type of work?
Or was it a case of them genuinely not realising that they had to comply because in the past they were excluded?

But like I said above, at the end of the day that shouldn't matter. People don't stop needing accessible buses just because it's paid for by a school or parents

I think it was a case of literally assuming only registered services would be encompassed by the regulations, and as nobody had said otherwise until a few months ago then everyone thought that was the case. I read it differently in that all fare paying services would be included, but there we go. I didn't expect fares paid off-bus would be included, eg private schools & rail replacement.
In the last hour there's been an announcement that PSVAR has been delayed until 31st July, to cover the rest of 2019/20 school year, for home to school services only. Rail replacement will still have to comply from 1st February, and registered services (presumably!) from 1st January.