- If you are driving for an organisation with a PSV Operator’s Licence you will very likely need to complete D1 driver training and Drivers CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence), which is 35 hours of periodic training over 5 years.
It is recommended that ALL drivers of minibuses complete MiDAS training every 4 years, regardless of whether they have D1 entitlement or not.
- If you passed your test before January 1st 1997, you will likely have inherited D1 entitlement on your licence. Under a Section 19 Permit, you can drive a 9-16 passenger seat vehicle without the weight restrictions detailed above, and be paid to do so.
- If you passed your test after January 1st 1997, you will need to take the full D1 driving test if you are being paid to drive and/or are driving a 9-16 passenger seat minibus with a GVW (GVW) gross vehicle weight of over 3.5 tonnes for diesel minibuses, 4.25 tonnes for electric or zero-emission vehicles. (There is an additional allowance of 750kg for wheelchair equipment)
- If you passed your driving test after January 1st 1997 you can drive a 9-16 seat minibus with a standard car licence, under a Section 19 Permit, with no additional training – although we highly recommend completing MiDAS before you do so, if certain conditions are met including:
- You are operating under a Section 19 Permit
- Drivers are over 21, have held their licence for over 2 years, and are not being paid to do so (other than out-of-pocket expenses)
- The vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is less than 3.5 tonnes for diesel minibuses, 4.25 tonnes for electric or zero-emission vehicles. There is an additional allowance of 750kg for wheelchair equipment. These vehicles are often called Lightweight or B1 minibuses.