Page 6 - TRSSL Handbook Flip

The driver: If any form of payment has been made, in cash or in kind, directly Section 22 Community Bus Permit within the UK.
• Is at least 21 years old or indirectly, that gives a passenger the right to travel on the Groups or parish councils who wish to operate a minibus Any trip outside the UK that includes payment for travel,
• Has held a full car licence for at least 2 years minibus, then the minibus is being operated ‘for Hire or Reward’. on a non-profit making basis for the benefit of the local either directly or indirectly, in other words ‘for Hire or Reward’,
• Is driving a minibus that has a MAM of no more than Payment may include a voluntary contribution made by, or on community may be issued a Section 22 Community Bus Permit would require the driver to hold a full D1 PCV licence and a
3.5 tonnes (This may be increased to a MAM of 4.25 behalf of, a passenger. It may also include payment for a trip or by The Traffic Commissioners Office. The licensing requirements CPC. Many organisers of school trips abroad etc. have, in the
tonnes if the weight above 3.5 tonnes is entirely due course that includes a journey on the minibus, even if the minibus for drivers are similar to that for Section 19 Permit drivers. past, mistakenly believed that they are covered to drive by their
to disabled passenger equipment, such as a tail-lift) ride is described as ‘free’. For further information on applying for S19 or 22 permits, D1 (101) licence. This is not, and never has been, the case. No
journey in a minibus outside the UK, including to the Republic
• Is driving for a non-commercial organisation, for social contact The Road Safety Solution at info@trssl.co.uk. of Ireland, can be driven by the holder of a D1 (101) licence
purposes Section 19 Standard Small Bus Permit unless the journey is entirely free for the passengers.
• Is driving voluntarily (other than out of pocket expenses) Organisations that need to operate minibuses ‘for Hire or Voluntary Drivers All trips abroad in a minibus, for whatever purpose, require a
• Is not towing any size trailer Reward’, on a non-commercial basis, to support the organisa- B licence holders may only drive a minibus if they are driving tachograph to be used from the point of departure inside the
• Is driving within the UK tions’ principal function may be entitled to hold a Section 19 voluntarily. The Department for Transport has offered the UK. The driver will need either a supply of discs for an analogue
Standard Small Bus Permit. Such organisations might be in- tachograph, or a Driver’s Card for a digital tachograph.
B licence holders can drive ‘for hire or reward’ if the volved in education, sport, religious or social activity. Organisa- following ‘guideline’ for what defines voluntary driving.
organisation for whom they are driving holds a valid Section tions that are registered charities may be eligible. The DfT stress that this is not legal advice.
19 Standard Small Bus Permit. They must still comply with all Is the organisation a non-commercial body? YES Tachographs
the above restrictions. The Section 19 Permit exempts the organisation from the
requirement to hold an Operator’s Licence and, sometimes, Is the driving for social purposes? YES The following information is quoted from the VOSA ‘Guide for
Drivers over 70 years old the driver from having to hold a full D1 PCV licence and a CPC. Can the driver be compelled by his employer to drive? NO Operators’ PSV 385.
Drivers will, at the age of 70, have to apply to keep their mini- Many authorities, including most local authorities, are entitled Is the driver being paid specifically for the driving? NO The EC drivers’ hours and tachograph rules do not apply to
bus entitlement and pass a vocational medical. to issue Section 19 Permits. Section 19 Permits are issued to drivers of minibuses with less than 17 passenger seats when
It is the driver’s responsibility to make sure that they specific organisations and are not transferable. Any minibus Then the driving can be defined as voluntary. operated solely within the UK, but they do apply to drivers of
have the correct licence entitlement. operated by an organisation ‘for Hire or Reward’ under minibuses with 9 or more passenger seats when undertaking
Section 19 conditions, whether the minibus is owned, hired Driving a Minibus Abroad an international journey.
Driving ‘for Hire or Reward’ or borrowed by that organisation, must display a Section 19 It is beyond the scope of this handbook to give full details of the These rules prescribe maximum limits on driving time and
Permit disc in the windscreen.
Many organisations misunderstand the definition of driving requirements for driving a minibus abroad, however drivers minimum requirements for breaks and rest periods, as well
‘for Hire or Reward’ and believe that they are not when, in fact, Driving ‘for Hire or Reward’ without displaying the Section 19 should be very careful not to misunderstand a fundamental rule. as requiring the fitting and use of tachographs.
they are. disc in the windscreen could lead to the driver being Anyone driving a minibus abroad must hold a D1 licence. The Minibuses with less than 17 passenger seats normally fall
prosecuted for driving without a valid licence. exempton allowed by Section 19 permits and the EC Social within the scope of the UK domestic drivers’ hours rules,
6 Voluntary and Unpaid exemption are only valid for journeys unless they are being used for private use or they are 7