Informations on minibuses and the clubs position legally compiled by Ashton Eddolls:
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| I thought I should post this for all those with concerns over minibus driving and vehicle licensing. Almost everyone in RUCC passed their driving test after 01/01/1997. The following information is true on 29/04/2004. Unless you have completed further driving tests to obtain a D or D1 catergory on your driving licence you cannot drive a minibus for hire or reward. A minibus is a vehicle with between 9 and 16 passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg. So what do we do? Well luckily somebody thought of that and there is a special case for us. 2. Drivers who do not have minibus entitlement (Category D1) If your driving licence does not allow you to drive minibuses, there are certain circumstances where you still may be able to do so. You may drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats if: i) you drive on behalf of a non commercial body for social purposes but not for hire or reward, unless operating under a permit; ii) you are aged 21; iii) you have held a car (category  licence for at least 2 years;iv) you are providing your service on a voluntary basis; and v) the minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes excluding any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers. Minibuses up to 4.25 tonnes will be permitted in certain circumstances. vi)if you are aged 70 and over, you are able to meet the health standards for driving a vehicle (i.e. minibus) which comes within the D1 class; When driving a minibus under these conditions you may not receive any payment or consideration for doing so other than out of pocket expenses or tow any size trailer; you may only drive minibuses in this country. Drivers aged 70 or over will need to make a special application which involves meeting higher medical standards. Maximum authorised mass and specialist equipment The maximum weight of a vehicle that may be used on the road is known as the maximum authorised mass (mam). It may also be described as the gross vehicle weight or permissible maximum weight. This is normally shown on a plate fitted to the vehicle. There is no specified method of calculating the weight of specialist equipment such as tail lifts or wheelchair security fittings, but there is an allowance of 750kgs for the extra equipment for minibuses which are intended for the carriage of passengers with disabilities or wheelchair users. This would cover minibuses with a mam of 4.25 tonnes and would be comparable with the weight threshold which new drivers of cars/light goods vehicles are permitted to drive. What about going abroad? Will Licences Be Accepted Abroad? All entitlements on British licences will continue to be accepted at face value during temporary visits to other EC/EEA countries. But please note that permit minibuses used for hire or reward cannot be driven outside the United Kingdom unless the driver has passed a test for category D1 or D. Drivers who become permanently resident in another EC/EEA country may find that their entitlement to drive D1/D1+E (not for hire or reward) minibuses may not be acceptable. Advice should be sought from the licensing authority of the new country with the exception of Northern Ireland which will accept all GB entitlements. What about towing a trailer. We cannot tow a trailer on a minibus however we can on a car. What is a car/ category B vehicle. Motor vehicles with a MAM not exceeding 3500kg having not more than 8 passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg. Combinations of towing vehicles in category B and a trailer, where the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle. The minibuses we rent from the union and external companies have a MAM of 3500kg. For the Europe trip we plan to take out the rear 6 seats, This will bring the vehicle into the category B area. Do we need to get the vehicle re-registered if we do this? No The reason for this is because we are not driving the vehicle for hire and reward and we are only removing the seats on a temporary basis for a short period of time. One of the main reasons to re-register the vehicle would be because it changes the vehicle taxation class and MOT class. The actual monetary value of the 2 different taxation classes is £165. The DVLA told me today that because it is only for a short period of time they do not need to be informed. Also because the vehicle MAM is not changing, the vehicle does not need to be re-registered. I have also spoken to the Vehicle operator services agency whom have confirmed this. If there are any more questions phone them up yourself. Considering the above information I am happy to drive the minibuses, and if necessary a minibus only 9 seats in it with a trailer of not more than 750kg. |
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If you look at this page under cars you will find this: http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/vehicle_cat_desc.htm Category B Motor vehicles with a MAM not exceeding 3500kg having not more than 8 passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg. Combinations of towing vehicles in category B and a trailer, where the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle. As you can see this is the category a RUSU bus falls into with only 9 seats in it (8 passengers plus the driver thus 9). The DVLA are not in a position to change these rating as by doing so they would make lots of other cars that have 9 seats illegal like the big LWB Landrovers If you got to this page: http://www.ford.co.uk/ns7/transitminibus/-/tmb_specs/# Click the link on the right hand side you will be brought to a PDF page showing transit minibus specs on page 21 of this pdf you will notice that the gross vehicle weight (which is the MAM) of a 15seat transit minibus is 3500kg or alternatively you could go and open the drivers door of one and it is printed on the plate in the drivers door sill. On this page you will find this section about what your allowed to tow with a category B licence. http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/dl_towing_trailers.htm Category B: Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to 8 passenger seats Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) OR a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM. For example: 1. a vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonnes could be driven by the holder of a category B entitlement. This is because the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and also the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle. Whereas 2. the same vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes when coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.5 tonnes would fall within category B+E. This is because although the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer is within the 3.5 tonnes MAM limit, the MAM of the trailer is more than the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle. Vehicle manufacturers normally recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicle’s handbook or obtained from car dealerships. The size of the trailer recommended for an average family car with an unladen weight of around 1 tonne would be well within the new category B threshold. As for towing caravans, existing general guidance recommends that the laden weight of the caravan does not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the car. In the majority of cases, caravans and small trailers towed by cars should be within the new category B threshold. Note - An exemption from the driver licensing trailer limit allows a category B licence holder to tow a broken down vehicle from a position where it would otherwise cause danger or obstruction to other road users. By passing a category B test National Categories F (tractor), K (pedestrian controlled vehicle) and P (moped) continue to be added automatically. And Finally on this page: http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/drvinothercountries.htm You will find this info: Visiting another country You may use your GB licence for driving in all other European Community/European Economic Area [EC/EEA] member states. Check with a motoring organisation if you want to drive in a non-EC/EEA country. They will advise you whether you need an International Driving Permit [IDP]. IDPs are issued by the AA, the RAC, RSAC and Green Flag Motoring Assistance Recovery Club. You must be resident in GB, have passed a driving test and be over 18 years of age. What this boils down to is that if you are over 18 and hold a full uk licence you can do the same things in a category B vehicle in a EC member state that you would do in the uk. However FYI: (not that it’s relevant) this is not true of other category vehicles, most RUSU drivers would not be able to take the union transits abroad when they are not classed as a category B vehicle (ie when they have 15 seats in) because most RUSU drivers operate under the “not for hire or reward” clause which only exists in this country. To drive a non category B vehicle abroad you must have taken and past a test before January the 1st 1997 or have taken subsequent tests. Any more information than that I have provided pointed to here can only be obtained by phoning the DVLA and asking them. |