The Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981

Fuel tanks, carburettors, etc

13.—(1) Subject to paragraph 3 of Schedule 2—

(a) in the case of a single-decked vehicle which has a seating capacity exceeding 12 passengers, a half-decked vehicle or the lower deck of a double-decked vehicle, no fuel tank shall be placed under any part of any gangway or under any part of any passage leading to a primary emergency exit as defined in Regulation 21(1) if that part of the gangway or passage is within 600 millimetres of any entrance or exit not being an emergency exit other than a primary emergency exit;

(b) in the case of a single-decked vehicle which has a seating capacity not exceeding 12 passengers, no fuel tank shall be placed immediately under any entrance or exit or within 300 millimetres of any entrance or exit and no filling point for such a tank shall be situated at the rear of the vehicle;

(c) no part of any fuel tank or apparatus for the supply of fuel shall be placed in the compartments or other spaces provided for the accommodation of the driver or passengers; and

(d) a device shall be provided by means of which the supply of fuel to any carburettor or, in the case of a fuel injection pump, to the injection nozzles, can be readily cut off and the following requirements shall be complied with—

(i) the means of operation shall at all times be readily accessible from outside the vehicle and, except in the case of a vehicle fitted with an engine having a fuel injection system, shall be readily visible from the outside of the vehicle; and

(ii) in a case where the device is so visible, the “off” position of the means of operation thereof shall be clearly marked also on the outside of the vehicle, and in a case where the said device is not so visible, its position shall be clearly marked on the outside of the vehicle and the means of operation shall also be clearly indicated.

(2) All fuel tanks and all apparatus supplying fuel to the engine shall be so placed or shielded that no fuel overflowing or leaking therefrom can fall or accumulate upon any woodwork forming part of the vehicle or upon any other part of the vehicle or fitting thereto such that it might readily be ignited or that it can fall into any receptacle where it might accumulate.

(3) The filling points for all fuel tanks shall be accessible only from the outside of the vehicle and filler caps shall be so designed and constructed that they cannot be dislodged by accidental operation and any vent hole shall be protected from danger of penetration by fire and shall be so designed as to prevent fuel from being ejected by splashing.