School Minibus Driver Training
MINIBUSES DRIVER TRAINING
A school minibus is a fantastic asset to any school and in addition to the safe maintenance of the minibus, any drivers must be aware of their responsibilities and should ideally have been put through training courses suited to school minibus driving.
Any volunteer driver is responsible for the roadworthiness of a minibus and that needs an organised safety checking system to be in place. The driver can refer to the records to confirm the inspection schedule of the minibus and with a walk-round, can make sure that it is road worthy.
Initial training and getting to know your minibus
A school car park is an ideal place to familiarise your drivers with the controls of the minibus, with the opportunity to practice manoeuvres whilst off road. If we have had wheel chair ramps and removable seats installed for you, try them, learn how they work and make sure that you can operate them safely.
Permits under Section 19
Schools fall under the Section 19 permits category which covers education, social welfare and activities benefiting the community. Making a charge is allowed under this permit without having to get a full operating licence from the DSA and without drivers having D1 entitlement, but this is strictly limited to covering the running costs of the minibus. The Traffic Area Network Office issue a Section 19 permits.
PSV and CPC driver training
If a vehicle carries 9 or more passengers and then payment is accepted for the transport, this is classed as for hire or reward and a PSV licence needs to be in place.
Payment may be in cash or in kind to be classed as for hire or reward. It may even be included in a room fee in the case of a hotel.
In this case, any driver must have passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) entitlement on their licence. If not, they need to complete form D2 and have a D4 medical report to have their licence amended.
The driver will then need to complete a two part test including:
- Theory and hazard perception, made up of a multiple choice test ad a hazard perception video based test.
- The practical test is a 90 minute hands on test. It includes a driving test, including dealing with hazards and includes a number of questions.
Once the test is passed, the driver may drive a minibus which is being operated for hire or reward. The qualification requires that the driver completes 35 hours of training every five year period.
At School Minibus Leasing UK, we are members of the CTA (Community Transport Association) and along with them can arrange for you and your drivers to have the necessary training to legally and safely drive your minibus.