What Government Licences Are Required To Set Up A Minibus Company

There was very little information available that I could find when I was setting up my Manchester Minibus company.

The most important aspect to consider when you are thinking of starting a minibus business is what licences you will need.

There are 2 classifications of minibuses. They are rated based on whether they have 8 passenger seats or more.

The most popular minibus is the 16 seat vehicle classed as a PSV (Public Service Vehicle or PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle).

You may think that just because you have a car licence that you can simply hop in and ferry paying passengers around in a 16 seat minibus. This isn’t the case as you will be required to pass a separate driving test.

The test you will have to pass is a category D1 which will then allow you to drive a <a title="Swinton Travel </spinvariant><spindelimiter></spinvariant><spindelimiter></spinvariant><spindelimiter></spinvariant><spindelimiter></spinvariant><spindelimiter></spinvariant><spindelimiter>

You will also have to complete your Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) which involves 35 hours of training. This has to be done every 5 years.

After this has been done you will have to undergo a medical examination.

Now you have the correct licences to drive the minibus you will have to apply to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
for an operator’s licence. VOSA is responsible for improving the roadworthiness and standard of vehicles and ensuring the compliance of drivers and operators.  

There are 2 types of Operators Licence. If you are looking to operate your business on a part-time basis you can apply for a restricted licence and if you are to run a full-time service you will need a Standard Licence.

After you have got your operator’s licence you will then need to obtain Certificate/s of Initial Fitness (COIF) for each of your vehicles.

It goes without saying that you have to have relevant up to date insurance. Also a 15 minute walk round vehicle check is required at
the start  of every working day as safety has to be your number one priority.

You can then start to find your customers and that is another topic all on its own.

Due to the amount of competition amongst Minibus Hire companies you will have to spend some time researching your marketplace and deciding upon your pricing system. Running a minibus hire service is very demanding but it can also be very rewarding if you plan your business right from the start. .