Minibus driving eligibility

ASCL has at last received formal clarification from the DfES of the rules about minibus driving. The latest guidance is available at www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/healthandsafety/visits

This makes it clear that, as we previously advised, a teacher who is not paid for driving a minibus and does it on a voluntary basis (ie not part of a job description), may drive a minibus on a normal car driver's licence. It is good practice to have a further qualification such as MIDAS.

However, under the relevant EU directive, this concession only applies to minibuses under the weight limit of 3.5 tonnes. Increasingly, new minibuses exceed this weight. To drive a minibus that does exceed this weight limit, a D1 PCV licence is required. This may mean that the concession becomes worthless over time.

The government has no intention of approaching EU partners to extend the concession to heavier minibuses.