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1. These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st April 1981 and may be cited as the Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981.
2. The Regulations specified in column (1) of Schedule 1 are hereby revoked to the extent specified in column (2) of that Schedule.
3.—(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them:—
“the Act” means
“articulated bus” means
it can be divided into two parts, both of which are vehicles and one of which is a motor vehicle, but cannot be so divided without the use of facilities normally available only at a workshop; and
passengers carried by it when not so divided can at all times pass from either part to the other;
“certificate of conformity” means
“certificate of initial fitness”
“the Commissioners” means
“deck” means
“double-decked vehicle” means
“ECE Regulation 36” means
“emergency exit” means
“entrance” means
“exit” means
“gangway” means
“half-decked vehicle” means
“permanent top” means
“registered” in relation to a vehicle, means
“safety glass”, “safety glazing” and “specified safety glass”
“single-decked vehicle” means
“type approval certificate” means
“vehicle” means
“vehicle in the service of a visiting force or headquarters”
(2) For the purpose of these Regulations, the date when a motor vehicle is first used shall be taken to be such date as is the earlier of the undermentioned relevant dates applicable to that vehicle, that is to say—
(a)in the case of a vehicle registered under the Roads Act 1920, the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1949, the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1962 or the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971 the relevant date is the date on which it was first so registered; and
(b)in each of the following cases, that is to say—
(i)in the case of a vehicle which is being or has been used under a trade licence within the meaning of section 16(1) of the Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971 (otherwise than for the purposes of demonstration or testing or of being delivered from premises of the manufacturer by whom it was made, or of a distributor of vehicles or dealer in vehicles to premises of a distributor of vehicles, dealer in vehicles or purchaser thereof, or to premises of a person obtaining possession thereof under a hiring agreement or hire purchase agreement);
(ii)in the case of a vehicle belonging, or which has belonged, to the Crown which is or was used or appropriated for use for naval, military or air force purposes;
(iii)in the case of a vehicle belonging, or which has belonged, to a visiting force or a headquarters within the meaning of Article 3 of the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1965;
(iv)in the case of a vehicle which has been used on roads outside Great Britain and which has been imported into Great Britain; and
(v)in the case of a vehicle which has been used otherwise than on roads after being sold or supplied by retail and before being registered,
the relevant date is the date of manufacture of the vehicle.
In case (v) above “sold or supplied by retail” means
(3) Unless the context otherwise requires, any references in these Regulations—
(a)to a numbered Regulation or Schedule is a reference to the Regulation or Schedule bearing that number in these Regulations, and
(b)to a numbered paragraph is to the paragraph bearing that number in the Regulation in which the reference occurs.
(4) The provisions of the Regulations in Part IV of these Regulations are in addition to, and not in derogation of, the provisions of any other Regulations made or having effect as if made under section 40 of the Road Traffic Act 1972.
4. The Regulations in Part IV of these Regulations do not apply to any vehicle in the public service of the Crown or in the service of a visiting force or headquarters.
Cmnd. 2535.
Cmnd. 3562.
By Instrument of accession dated 14th January 1963 deposited with the Secretary General of the United Nations on 15th January 1963.
the relevant amending instrument is S.I. 1978/1234.