Bus And Coach Accident Compensation Claims

By Stephen Burke. Last Updated 23/09/2025. If you’ve suffered an injury in an accident on a bus, you may be looking for advice on claiming compensation for London bus accident claims. Our bus and coach accident compensation claims guide should answer many of the frequent questions surrounding such claims against bus companies.

Below, we explain how an accident on a bus claim works. We offer tips on making claims against bus companies for accidents that happen on the bus due to the negligence of others. Further to this, we give guidance on bus accident compensation amounts.

If you are interested in speaking with an adviser at any point about filing a successful claim while reading this guide, why not give us a call on 0800 073 8801. Initial consultations are free of charge to speak to us about personal injury compensation and come with no obligation to use our services.

Select a Section

1. Bus And Coach Accident Compensation Claims Criteria
2. What Evidence Can Support Bus Accident Claims?
3. Time Limits When Making Claims Against Bus Companies
4. An Emergency Stop On The Bus Caused Whiplash – Can I Claim?
5. How Much Are Bus And Coach Accident Compensation Claims Worth?
6. What Are The Causes Behind Bus and Coach Accidents?
7. Will I Need To Go To Court?
8. Claiming For A Bus Accident With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

Bus And Coach Accident Compensation Claims Criteria

All bus accident claims will need to meet certain eligibility criteria, which is:

1. You were owed a duty of care by a road user.
2. They took an action or decision that did not meet their duty of care.
3. You suffered injuries in a bus accident due to this breach.

All people using the road owe each other a duty of care while they are using the roads. Per their duty, when they are out using the roads, they should use them in a safe and responsible manner to prevent causing harm to each other. Part of their duty of care also involves adhering to the Road Traffic Act 1998 and following the rules and guidance found within the Highway Code.

Who you would make your claim against after being injured as a passenger on a bus depends on who breached their duty of care.

If it was another road user who did, you would make your personal injury claim against them. If the driver of the bus you were on breached their duty of care, you would claim against the bus driver through their insurance.

To help determine whether you have a personal injury claim that is valid, please contact one of the advisors in our team. They could provide you with information about claims against bus companies and the average settlement for a bus accident in the UK.

What Evidence Can Support Bus Accident Claims?

A bus accident compensation claim requires evidence which confirms the injuries you’re claiming for and how they were caused by another party breaching a duty of care they owed you.

Examples of evidence that could support a bus passenger accident claim include:

• Medical records that show what injuries you have been treated for following a bus accident.
• Contact details of any witnesses who can provide a statement about the bus accident that hurt you.
• Photographs of the bus accident scene and any visible injuries you’ve experienced.
• Any available video footage you can gather that’s shows the bus accident that injured you, such as bus CCTV footage, which you may be able to request from the bus service provider.

When solicitors are supporting bus accident claims, they can assist with the process of gathering evidence. Contact our team for free today for more advice on the key steps to claiming bus accident compensation.

Time Limits When Making Claims Against Bus Companies

There are time limits that apply to bus accident claims. As set out in the Limitation Act 1980, you usually are given a time limit of three years, starting from the date on which your accident occurred, to claim personal injury compensation. However, it is in your best interest to act sooner rather than later to ensure you give yourself sufficient time to prepare any evidence for your claim.

In certain circumstances, the limitation period may be suspended. For example:

• The three-year time limit for a child injured in a bus accident is suspended until their 18th birthday.
• There could be an option to permanently suspend the time limit for an injured person who does not have the required mental capacity to start their own claim. If the person regains their capacity, they will have three years beginning with the date of their recovery to start their own claim. 

The court may appoint a litigation friend to make a bus accident claim on behalf of a minor or a claimant who lacks the mental capacity that is required to begin their own claim while the time limit is paused. However, they must act in the interest of the claimant during the bus accident claims process.

If you have any questions regarding how long you have to claim bus accident compensation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our advisors can be contacted for free and at any time using our online chat service. They can also discuss claims against bus companies in more detail as well.

An Emergency Stop On The Bus Caused Whiplash – Can I Claim?

Drivers are taught to perform an emergency stop in the event of a threatening situation. It is an evasive action and one that no driver takes unless they have no alternative option. If the duty has been breached, then you could have grounds to make a claim.

You could be eligible to claim whiplash compensation if you suffered a whiplash injury in an accident on a bus. However, injuries suffered in a road traffic accident valued at £5,000 or less are now claimed for through the Whiplash Reform Programme government portal. This is due to the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021, which applies to soft tissue injuries that occurred on or after the 31st of May 2021.

Once your bus accident claim is settled, it cannot be reopened. If you hire a No Win No Fee solicitor, they can help ensure that you are claiming for the correct amount.

Call our advisors for a free valuation of your bus accident claim.

How Much Are Bus And Coach Accident Compensation Claims Worth?

When you contact our advisors for a free consultation, you can ask them how much compensation for a bus accident you could receive based on how you were affected.

A settlement for a bus accident claim can be made up of either one or two parts, based on what are known as heads of loss.

The first head of loss is called general damages. The payment compensates you for the physical harm and emotional suffering caused by the accident.

When applying a value to injuries, those tasked with reaching a figure do not simply look at an average settlement for bus accident cases. Instead, they review different sources of information, including medical evidence. They could also use the illustrative compensation brackets for different injuries found in a document called the Judicial College Guidelines, or JCG.

We’ve used the JCG to create the table you see just below, please use the information as a guideline only. The only exceptions are the top line, which is our creation, and the bottom two entries. The payments for whiplash injuries are fixed, and based on the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021’s tariff.

For a more detailed explanation of compensation for bus and coach accident compensation claims, plus a review of your potential payout, just call or reach out to us online.

Injury	Compensation Guideline	Further Notes
Multiple serious injuries including financial losses/costs	Up to £1,000,000+	A multitude of serious injuries combined which cause financial losses such as loss of income and pain and suffering too.
Brain Damage - Very Severe	£344,150 to £493,000	No meaningful response to environmental stimuli and needing full-time care.
Back injuries - Severe (i)	£111,150 to £196,450	The most serious of injuries involving spinal cord or nerve root damage, causing severe pain.
Neck Injuries - Severe (i)	In the region of £181,020	Including injuries causing incomplete paraplegia with limited to no movement in the neck.
Leg Injuries - Severe (i) Most Serious	£117,460 to £165,860	The most serious of injuries that stop just short of amputation, such as the degloving of the leg.
Hand Injuries - Serious Damage to Both Hands	£68,070 to £103,200	These types of injuries will cause a cosmetic disability that is permanent with a serious loss of function in the hands.
Elbow Injuries - Severely Disabling	£47,810 to £66,920	Seriously disabling elbow injuries.
Whiplash Tariff	£4,345	Both physical and psychiatric injury, lasting more than 18 months, but no longer than 24 months.
Whiplash Tariff	£4,215	Whiplash lasting over 18 months but not longer than 24 months.

Special Damages In Bus Accident Claims

Additionally, your settlement could possibly also include what is called special damages. This particular head of claim provides compensation to you for the financial losses caused by your injury. If you intend to claim special damages, you will be required to submit evidence, such as receipts or invoices.

A few examples of the financial losses that could possibly be covered as part of a claim for a road traffic accident include:

• Medical costs, such as medications and physical therapy.
• Loss of earnings for a certain period of time spent off work, including pension contributions.
• Travel expenses, such as the cost of taxi fares to work or medical appointments.

You can contact one of our advisors to discuss what could be included in your claim. They can also provide a valuation of your potential settlement.

What Are The Causes Behind Bus and Coach Accidents?

There are several causes behind bus and coach accidents, and we’ve provided a list of influencing factors below:

• Crashing into an object: Obstructions in the road can cause both buses and coaches to crash.
• Crashing into another vehicle: Due to the high volume of traffic on roads, buses and coaches frequently crash into other vehicles or collide with each other.
• Bad weather conditions: Bad weather, such as heavy rain or snow, not only limits visibility but also makes the roads have poorer grip.
• Bus driver error: Bus drivers are susceptible to human error, which can lead to accidents on the roads.
• Another motorist’s error: Just like bus drivers, other motorists can make poor decisions whilst driving, resulting in bus and coach accidents.
• Slip, trip and fall: Poor maintenance inside buses, such as tripping hazards like litter or slipping hazards like spillages, can cause passengers to fall. The bus driver stopping abruptly while a passenger is standing or moving towards the front of the bus can also cause them to fall and suffer an injury.

If you’d like to explore bus and coach accident compensation claims in greater depth or discuss the above influential causes, please speak to us for free over the phone, online, or text us through our live chat.

Will I Need To Go To Court?

It is rare that bus and coach accident compensation claims require you to go to court. This is because it is typically much easier and quicker for everyone involved to settle the claim outside of court. 

Additionally, you or your solicitor must follow the Pre-Action Protocol for Personal Injury Claims. These outline the steps that must be taken before the court will consider your case. Generally, a claim will go to court as a last resort. 

If you work with one of our solicitors, they can handle all negotiations with the defending party. It can be extremely beneficial to your case to have an experienced legal expert represent your interests. They can also advise on whether they believe a settlement offer is fair. 

Your claim may go to court under the following circumstances:

• The defending party denies liability for your accident
• You suffered severe injuries with long-term impact (this can be difficult to assess outside of court)
• Both parties cannot reach an agreement as to how much compensation is owed

You can get in touch with our advisory team to assess the complexity of your bus passenger accident claim. They can also provide you with a compensation estimate, giving you valuable information that can help you decide whether to proceed.

Claiming For A Bus Accident With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

If you suffered injuries in a bus crash and would like to claim compensation, a No Win No Fee solicitor could provide you with legal support. Their services may be provided under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee agreement.

When your bus passenger accident claim is supported by a No Win No Fee solicitor, they typically won’t ask you to pay upfront for their services. They don’t usually ask you to pay for any ongoing costs either. If your solicitor successfully helps you recover compensation, they take a success fee from your award. This amount is limited by the law. Your solicitor usually won’t ask for payment for their services if they don’t succeed.

Bus crashes in the UK can cause a variety of different injuries. If you have any questions about your eligibility to claim, contact our advisors. They’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to discuss your potential case. If it seems like it might be successful, they could pass you on to one of our solicitors. Our solicitors typically offer their services under a No Win No Fee arrangement.

Contact us today to discuss London bus accident claims on the details that follow.

• Start a claim by filling in our call back form.
• Call 0800 073 8801
• Use our live webchat at the bottom of the screen.

Helpful Links Relating To Bus And Coach Accident Compensation Claims

Additional road traffic accident claim guides:

• Cycling Accident Guide
• Road Traffic Accident Guide
• Car Park Accident Claims

Sites you may find helpful:

• Bus Travel Safety Stats
• Traffic Commissioners Site
• Concussion and Head Injuries