Traveling in a bus is one of the safest modes of transport by road, according to a study by the Road Safety Research Foundation (SWOV) has been commissioned by Royal Dutch Transport. It also appears that traveling by bus is twice as safe as traveling by passenger car. The safest modes of transport are trains and planes.

For the study, SWOV analyzed the available accident data from the four modes of transport in seven European countries. However, in contrast to the safety of bus occupants, bus accidents for road users outside the bus (the other party) are more likely to be serious than car accidents.

SWOV also investigated the risk per passenger in the modes of train, plane and bus, expressed in the number of deaths per trillion passenger kilometers. For the bus, this number is 0,32. This comparison is in favor of the train (0,045) and the aircraft (0,054), but an important side note is that the average occupancy rate for all buses (public transport and coach) was taken as a starting point in the study. 

In 2017, SWOV conducted a similar study, looking at buses versus passenger cars in Dutch traffic. To ensure the quality of its research, SWOV uses the input of highly qualified external experts. They are members of the Scientific Advisory Council (WAR) and the Program Advisory Council (PAR). SWOV strives to invite experts who are active in various parts of the traffic and road safety area.