# 2026-00728: Buses Get Bulletproof Windows to Keep Riders Inside During Crashes

2026-00728, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: Anti-Ejection Glazing for Bus Portals; Mandatory Applicability Beginning October 30, 2027, is a Federal Register rule from Transportation Department, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published 2026-01-15, effective 2026-01-15 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00728
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-00728
- Title: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: Anti-Ejection Glazing for Bus Portals; Mandatory Applicability Beginning October 30, 2027
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Transportation Department; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 1709
- Published: 2026-01-15
- Effective: 2026-01-15
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: 2127-AM79
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Buses Get Bulletproof Windows to Keep Riders Inside During Crashes

## Summary

Starting October 30, 2027, big buses like motorcoaches must have special windows designed to keep passengers from being thrown out during crashes. The new rule updates window size rules and testing details to make these safety features clearer and stronger. Bus makers have until then to comply, with early adoption encouraged—keeping riders safer without breaking the bank.

## Abstract

This document partially grants a petition for reconsideration of the October 30, 2024 final rule that established Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 217a, "Anti-ejection glazing for bus portals; Mandatory applicability beginning October 30, 2027." The standard intends to drive installation of advanced glazing in over-the- road buses (motorcoaches) and other large buses to reduce occupant ejections. This final rule revises the minimum size requirement for applicable portals, adds a figure to illustrate a daylight opening periphery, and clarifies the target location for edge impact tests. This document denies all other portions of the petition for reconsideration, including revising the definition of "daylight opening."

## Effects PRIA read

- Which buses must add anti‑ejection windows: benefit, high. The rule requires "advanced glazing" (anti-ejection windows) on over-the-road buses (motorcoaches) and other large buses with GVWR greater than 11,793 kilograms manufactured on or after October 30, 2027. The standard does not apply to school buses, transit buses, prison buses, or perimeter-seating…
- Compliance deadline for bus manufacturers: cost, low. Manufacturers must comply with FMVSS No. 217a by October 30, 2027; the rule is effective January 15, 2026 and optional early compliance is permitted. The standard includes a minimum daylight opening threshold of 279 millimeters for when impact tests apply.
- What the glazing must resist in tests: benefit, high. Under the standard, glazing must prevent displacement past a defined ejection reference plane, stop passage of a 102-millimeter (4 inch) diameter sphere after an impact, and leave emergency exits operable following the impact tests that simulate an unrestrained adult thrown in a rollover.
- Clarifications that ease compliance: benefit, low. NHTSA revised the rule text to add an illustrative daylight‑opening figure, changed the minimum‑size wording to apply to the daylight opening (279 mm threshold), replaced "discrete attachment point" with a defined "latch attachment point," and clarified which interior items (e.g., restraining barri…

## Related documents

- [2026-19964](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19964): The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule III for Model Years 2022 to 2031 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks, 2026-09-30
- [2026-11072](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11072): Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 214; Side Impact Protection; Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 305a; Electric-Powered Veh…, 2026-06-03
- [2026-08144](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08144): Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures, 2026-04-27
- [2026-05024](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05024): Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 102 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles, 2026-03-16
- [2026-05023](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05023): Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 103 and FMVSS No. 104 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles; Incorporatio…, 2026-03-16
- [2025-22674](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-22674): Public Hearing for Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards: The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicle Rule III for Model Years 20…, 2025-12-12

## Sources
- [2026-00728 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/15/2026-00728/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards-anti-ejection-glazing-for-bus-portals-mandatory-applicability)
- [2026-00728 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-01-15/pdf/2026-00728.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-00701, Pennsylvania Regulatory Program](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00701)
- [Next: 2026-00730, Amendment of Jet Route J-146 and Establishment of United States RNAV Route Q-18…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00730)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00728 (as of 2026-06-11).