What License do I Need to Drive a Minibus for Hire and Reward?

You need at least D1 entitlement on your standard car licence or a full D1 licence to drive a minibus for hire and reward under a Section 19 Permit, or a full D1 licence and further CPC training if you are driving a minibus for a commercial company looking to profit from their minibus operations and carry the general public.

Under a Section 19 Permit you can drive for reward or hire with D1 (101) entitlement included on a standard car licence issued before 1st January 1997. On the back of your licence in the D1 row you will see (101). This entitles you to drive a minibus under a Section 19 Permit and be paid to do so. Section 19 Permits are issued by the DVSA to organisations that operate vehicles without a view to profit to transport their members, or people whom the organisation exists to help, such as school pupils. Section 19 permit vehicles cannot be used to carry members of the general public.

If you are being paid to drive for a commercial company you will need a full D1 licence, that requires medical and eyesight, theory and practical tests. Commercial companies need to apply for both a minibus provisional entitlement, also known as a passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) licence and a public service vehicle (PSV) operator licence. Drivers will also need to complete 35 hours of additional CPC training. You must have the full Driver CPC if you drive a lorry, bus or coach as the main part of your job. You usually need to pass 4 tests to get it, unless you have ‘acquired rights’ because of your existing driving experience.

You do not need the full Driver CPC if you do not want to drive for a living, for example you want to drive for a hobby or carry passengers or goods non-commercially for personal use.

For more information visit. https://www.gov.uk/become-lorry-bus-driver