Minibus driving training and assessment

If your organisation uses minibuses to transport passengers in Plymouth, you should as best practise ensure that your minibus drivers have attended the Plymouth City Council Minibus Drivers Assessment course. The course is mandatory for those driving minibuses that are owned and insured by the Council.

Who needs the minibus test

Anyone wishing to drive a minibus with passenger seating capacity of up to 16 seats while on Plymouth City Council business (not for hire or reward) or when 'hiring in' Plymouth City Council owned minibuses must first obtain the council's certificate of competence.

Those eligible, will be drivers who passed their basic driving test before the 1 January 1997 and must:

• hold a D1 driving licence category for more than two years
• be aged between 21 and 65
• be able to read a number plate from 20.5 metres

Holders of a current category D passenger carrying vehicles (PCV) licence are exempt. However you will be required to supply evidence of this to your line manager.

Category B licence holders can drive a minibus only under certain conditions. Please read the leaflet in the documents table below about driving a minibus.

Category B licence holders must:

• be at least 21 years old
• have held a driving licence for at least two years
• be driving on a voluntary basis
• be driving for an organisation with a community bus permit
• not tow a trailer
• not drive a minibus that weighs no more than 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass (MAM)
• only drive within the UK

Category B licence holders will be trained in smaller buses - up to 15 seats only. We can hold in-house training courses with a minimum of 9 clients. Contact the Road Safety Team on 01752 307730 for further details.

Points on licence

We have a duty to ensure that driving standards are maintained by those driving any Council insured or owned minibus. Those with three points on their licence have to attend a driver profile assessment programme.

They must cease driving on behalf of Plymouth City Council until they have successfully completed the assessment. The driver profile assessment programme involves elements of hazard recognition, decision making, safety knowledge, practical assessment and a drivers 'acuity' eye sight test. You will need to contact the road safety office to arrange a time and date to undertake this.

Minibus courses offered by Plymouth City Council

When booking a minibus course it is important to select the course according to your requirements.

Minibus drivers assessment course (two parts)

The two-part course starts with a two-hour theory session. The purpose of this session is to equip participants with the required knowledge to progress to practical driving assessment. During the theory sessions the instructors ensure that the participants are aware of the legislation related to the driving of minibuses.

This session also covers pre-driving checks, vehicle familiarisation, journey planning, hazard percenption and stress and fatigue. This session finishes with a written test of 20 questions that has a 75% pass rate. The practical session has to be booked within two weeks of the completed theory session.

The second part of the course consists of on-road training where drivers are assessed, based on the theory session and modern defensive driving techniques which will improve the safety of their passengers whilst on the road.

The theory session is delivered by Road Safety Officers who use approved driving instructors to carry out the parctical minibus familiarisation which is held at Vospers Marsh Mills. Most types of road and traffic situations will be covered.

Please see the course availibility page for dates and time slots which will suit you best.

On successful completion of both theory and practical asessments you will be awarded a certificate of competence which will be valid for five years, your approved driver status will be placed on the council's register of minibus drivers.

All certificate holders must undergo a re-assessment after five years.

Five yearly minibus drivers re-assessment course

This course must be completed at the expiry of your minibus drivers certificate (five years). You will be sent a reminder that you need to enrol on this course, and you have six months from the expiry of your minibus certificate to complete the re-assessment. Those who are on the Devon Drivers Register but work for schools or organisations within Plymouth must also take this course.

Driver profile assessment

If you have penalty points added to your licence and currently, or need in the future, to drive a minibus owned or insured by Plymouth City Council, then you will need to complete a driver profile assessment. Plymouth City Council has a duty to ensure that driving standards are maintained by those driving any Council insured or owned minibus. Those drivers with penalty points on their licence have to attend a driver profile assessment, and must cease driving on behalf of Plymouth City Council until they have successfully completed the assessment.

The driver profile assessment programme involves elements of hazard recognition, decision making, safety knowledge, practical assessment and a drivers 'acuity' eye sight test. You will need to contact the road safety office to arrange a time and date to undertake this.

Documents

To view these documents you might need to download some software. Visit our downloads page for more information.

	Minibus code of good practice - provides minibus operators with detailed guidance on how to improve minibus safety and how to meet the requirement of the City Council's health and safety policy relating to minibus safety. File format Adobe Acrobat (pdf) - 306KB
	Minibus preparation checklist - guidance in preparing yourself, other people and the vehicle for the journey. File format Adobe Acrobat (pdf) - 158KB
	Minibus courses application form - to be completed by drivers wishing to undertake any of the minibus courses described above. File format Microsoft Word (doc) - 595KB
	Driving a minibus and vehicle category entitlements - explains the rules regarding minibus driving in relation to the categories on your driving licence. File format Adobe Acrobat (pdf) - 539KB
	Minibus course letter - clarifies who can attend the minibus course with regard to categories of vehicle your licence entitles you to drive. File format Adobe Acrobat (pdf) - 18.35KB

[Back to top]