A bus operator and two directors have been convicted and fined after Heavy Vehicle National Law proceedings put driver recruitment, health checks and responses to speeding information under the spotlight.
Gosford Local Court fined Linq Buslines $630,000 for one offence and $20,000 for a second offence on 26 August 2026, according to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. Directors Christopher Fogg and Anthony Royle were each convicted and fined $12,000.
The company admitted failures involving risks associated with speeding, fatigue and employing a driver affected by drugs. Evidence before the court included inadequate recruitment controls, no company requirement for prospective drivers to undergo a medical assessment or complete a medical-fitness form, and inadequate reference and driving-record checks.
The directors’ offences concerned identified speeding risks. Seven drivers had been recorded speeding on 12 occasions, and the directors admitted failing to ensure appropriate action was taken promptly.
The proceedings followed the 2023 Hunter Valley wedding-bus crash at Greta, in which 10 people died and 25 were injured. They were separate from the criminal prosecution of driver Brett Button.
Long histories in the bus industry
Both directors come from families with long histories in bus operations. Royle’s family was closely associated with Forest Coach Lines, while the Fogg family has also been part of the NSW bus industry over generations.
That experience makes the court’s central message especially significant: industry knowledge and established systems do not remove an executive’s personal obligation to verify that known safety risks are being addressed.
What operators should take from the case
For operators, receiving safety information is not enough. A working safety-management system must identify who is responsible for acting, set an escalation process, record the response and allow executives to verify that the control was implemented.
The case also demonstrates the personal nature of executive due diligence. Directors and other executives cannot satisfy the duty simply by assigning safety work to another employee. They must keep their safety knowledge current, understand the business’s risks, provide suitable resources and processes, and verify that those processes are actually being used.
The penalties arose from conduct in 2022 and 2023 and should not be read as an application of the amended penalty framework that commenced on 1 August 2026.
Related WWTG explainers: What is the Executive Due Diligence Duty? and What is a heavy-vehicle Safety Management System?
Sources: National Heavy Vehicle Regulator; ABC News.
Editor’s disclosure: WWTG editor Chris Smith previously met Anthony Royle and members of his family while reporting a story about Forest Bus Lines for Australasian Bus & Coach magazine.