Minibus Hire – Who Can Drive A Rented Minibus?

If you want to drive a self-drive hired minibus, the first thing to check is whether you have category D1 on your driving licence.

If you passed your car driving test before the 1st January, 1997, then you should have D1 on your licence and can drive minibuses with up to 17 seats.

If you passed your car test after that date, you probably won’t have D1 entitlement, unless you have taken an additional minibus driving test since then.

Despite this, the law does allow people without D1 entitlement to drive minibuses up to 17 seats under certain circumstances.

The problem is that most minibus hire companies require drivers to have D1 entitlement – even if they might be legally allowed to drive the minibus without it. The only possible solution to this problem is to ring around local, independent hire companies who might be more flexible.

The other choice, if you want to drive minibuses regularly – for a sports or social club, perhaps – is to take your minibus driving test and have category D1 added to your licence.

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