What to do after an express bus accident
An express bus was involved in your crash and you are not sure who you claim against.
Get medical attention first, whether you were on the bus or in another vehicle. A bus operator carries the same compulsory insurance as any other vehicle owner. Who you claim against depends on fault, not on vehicle size.
If you were a passenger on the bus
Keep your ticket or booking confirmation. It helps establish that you were travelling on that specific service at that time.
Photograph any visible injury and note your seat position if it explains how you were hurt. Get contact details from nearby passengers who saw what happened.
Your claim generally goes against the insurer of the at-fault vehicle.[1] That may be the bus, or another vehicle involved, depending on how the crash happened.
If you were in another vehicle hit by the bus
The same core steps apply as in any other accident. Check for injuries, photograph the scene, exchange details with the bus driver, and lodge a police report the same day.
Note the bus company’s name, the service number if visible, and the vehicle registration.
Evidence specific to buses
Many express buses carry onboard cameras. Ask the operator for the footage soon after the accident, because it is not kept forever.
Passenger accounts also carry weight. A full bus means several people saw the same moment from different angles.
Why more people are often involved
A bus accident often leaves more injured people than a two-vehicle collision. Each person’s claim is still assessed on their own injuries and evidence.
When a lawyer can take over
The operator, its insurer and other passengers can make this claim hard to follow. An independent lawyer can take the claim on and deal with the insurer for you.
For the first contact, share general dates, location, case status and a short summary only. Keep documents private. Only after an identified lawyer or law firm contacts you and specifically asks for them should you provide that identified lawyer or firm with the accident date, the route and where it happened, your injuries, and the police report if you have one.
Related reading
What to do after a road accident covers the fuller sequence for the days that follow. Making a road accident claim explains how the claim itself works once liability and your injuries are documented.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
As a bus passenger, who do I claim against?
You generally claim against the at-fault party's insurer, which may be the bus operator's own policy if the bus driver was at fault, or another vehicle's insurer if that driver caused the accident.
Should I keep my bus ticket after an accident?
Yes. Your ticket helps confirm you were a passenger on that specific service at that time, which can matter later even though it may feel like a small detail in the moment.
Does the bus have its own cameras that could help?
Many express buses are fitted with onboard cameras, and this footage can be a valuable piece of evidence if it is requested from the operator reasonably promptly after the accident.
I was in another vehicle and a bus hit me. Is a bus company harder to claim against than an individual driver?
Not in principle. A bus operator is required to carry the same kind of compulsory motor insurance as any other vehicle owner, and the claim proceeds through that insurer in the usual way.
Sources
- Road Transport Act 1987, s.90 and s.96 (Ministry of Transport) (accessed 2026-09-22)
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.