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Bus & Tram Accidents

These injuries can feel too ordinary to raise with anyone, particularly if you got off at your stop and carried on. If you needed treatment afterwards, it is worth asking.


A collision is not required for a bus or tram injury to be a transport accident in Victoria.

What counts as a public transport accident



You can make a TAC claim if you were injured:


  • By a bus or tram braking suddenly or cornering
  • By a door closing on you, including where the vehicle then moved of
  • As a pedestrian struck by a tram
  • Boarding or getting off, including at tram stop safety zones
  • While standing in a crowded vehicle with no handhold
  • In a collision involving a bus, tram or train


Bus and tram accident compensation

  • Medical treatment, hospital and specialist costs
  • Rehabilitation and physiotherapy
  • Income support while you cannot work
  • A lump sum for permanent impairment, from 11% whole person impairment
  • Pain and suffering and loss of earnings, where the operator or another party caused a serious injury


The lump sum depends on a percentage. Independent doctors assess how much permanent function you have lost once your injuries have stabilised, and nothing is payable below 11%. Above that the amount is fixed by law and rises with the percentage. Find out what each band is worth.


No collision required

No. Injuries caused by sudden braking, a tram taking a corner, a door closing, or losing your footing as a vehicle moves off, all fall within the TAC scheme. So do injuries sustained while boarding or getting off.


Nobody needs to have done anything wrong, either. As a passenger you were not operating the vehicle, so your entitlement to treatment, rehabilitation and income support is about as straightforward as this scheme gets.

What to do after an incident

Tell the driver or operator before you leave and ask for an incident report number. This makes everything afterwards more straightforward.


Note the route, the vehicle or tram number and the time.


Keep your myki record or ticket. It establishes that you were on that vehicle at that time.


See a doctor promptly, even if you feel able to carry on. Back and shoulder injuries from being thrown around a moving vehicle often announce themselves days later.



If you have already left without reporting it, you can still lodge a report with the operator afterwards. Its absence does not end a claim.


Tram accidents

Tram injuries take forms that do not occur elsewhere in Australia.


Passengers injured on board by braking or cornering are covered. So are people injured boarding or alighting, including at the stops that sit in the middle of live traffic lanes, and pedestrians struck by a tram in a street running section.


Cyclists who come off in tram tracks are a separate question.

When it is a public liability claim instead

Not every injury on public transport is a transport accident.


If you slipped on a wet floor on a stationary bus, or were injured at a station, shelter or platform rather than by the vehicle, your claim may be a public liability claim against the operator rather than a TAC claim.


The two schemes work differently and have different deadlines, so establishing which applies is the first thing to do.

Once we have established which scheme applies, the claim follows the standard TAC process.


The Injury Law Group lawyers – TAC and road accident claims, Melbourne
The Injury Law Group lawyers – TAC and road accident claims, Melbourne

What to bring to your first consultation

  • The incident report number, if you have one
  • Your myki record, ticket or a screenshot of the trip
  • The route number, vehicle or tram number and time
  • Medical reports and the names of your treating doctors
  • Payslips or evidence of lost income
  • Any correspondence from the operator or their insurer

FAQs

  • I did not report it at the time.

    Reporting makes things more straightforward but its absence does not end a claim. You can lodge a report with the operator afterwards.


  • Do I need the incident report number?

    It helps but is not essential. A myki record, a ticket or a photograph can establish that you were on board.


  • The operator has offered me something.

    Get advice first. Any offer from an operator or its insurer sits separately from your TAC entitlements.


  • Is there a bus accident compensation calculator?

    No. What you receive depends on your permanent impairment once it has been assessed, and on whether another party was at fault.


Your lawyers

Public transport claims are the ones people most often decide against making, usually because the incident felt minor at the time and there was no crash to point to. If you needed treatment afterwards, it is worth a conversation before you rule it out.


Your claim is run by Irini Piperoglou or Antonia Gianasmidis.


34 Church Street, Abbotsford, on the network we are describing.


No Win No Fee, which includes finding out whether you have a claim at all. How our no win no fee guarantee works



“After my car accident, I was completely overwhelmed, but Irini and Antonia were there for me every step of the way. They didn’t just handle the legal stuff, they showed genuine care and empathy, making sure I never felt alone in the process. They took all the stress off my shoulders, allowing me to focus on my recovery. Thanks to their hard work, I received the compensation I needed to recover. I can’t thank them enough for their support and for always keeping me informed and at ease during such a tough time”

– Kalliope L.


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