Community Media Bus Project
Update!
Training will be taking place for anyone who wishes to drive the new mini media bus.
Training will take place on Wednesday 9 November, between 10am and 5pm (ish).
You should be over 25 and under 70 and have a full driving licence.
Anyone interested please contact the Clerk or use the contact form on this website.
The bus will be available for use and bookings from 9th November!
Training will be taking place for anyone who wishes to drive the new mini media bus.
Training will take place on Wednesday 9 November, between 10am and 5pm (ish).
You should be over 25 and under 70 and have a full driving licence.
Anyone interested please contact the Clerk or use the contact form on this website.
The bus will be available for use and bookings from 9th November!
Mini Bus Report : for the Trustees of the Sir John Moore Foundation, Parish Councillors and Measham Mobility.
Date: November 11th 2014 - updated September 3rd 2015
Prepared by:
Deana Wildgoose (Foundation Manager) with Lindsay Swinfield (Clerk to Appleby Parish Council)
and Alan Oakes (Chairman of Measham Mobility)
The purpose of this report is to summarise the progress to date on the Community Bus Project and to update all parties as to current situation.
Introduction
The Foundation, with Measham Mobility and Appleby Parish Council have joined forces to provide an additional service for the local community. This follows a joint feasibility undertaken in 2012 and an ongoing partnership between Measham Mobility and Sir John Moore.
The bus will replace the existing Measham Community Bus and be based in Appleby, owned by the Parish Council and managed by a working group with representatives from all three bodies that will over-see the operation and finances. The facility will be kitted out with some media elements to enable outreach activities. The full specification has been developed with a specialist firm in Whaley Bridge (Mini bus options - managing director Steve Moore)
The bus will be available to local schools, groups and individuals to use. It will be operated to encourage and support a wide variety of community groups and people to benefit. Its none commercial use will be supplemented by private hire to support the overall finances. Key is its mixed use ensuring long term sustainability and providing a platform for social interaction between community groups and individuals.
As a media mini-bus it will enable all members of the community to learn new skills with a focus on young people delivering outreach sessions.
Local people will be able to become drivers and provide valuable volunteer opportunities for individuals. The vehicle will be specified in order to meet all current legislation on licence requirements. The bus will have a S19 operators licence to enable it to run 'fared' journeys for the general public as well as group bookings for educational, social and community use.
All aspects of running the bus will be covered in a manual and all health and safety, maintenance, safeguarding and liabilities will be covered through proper management, obtaining appropriate advice and relevant insurance and break down cover.
In preparing these documents and plans additional advice has been sought from experts in the field including Marlene Reid Centre (community bus scheme), Ford and ROSPA. The guidance provided in the Mini Bus Safety Code of Practice produced by ROSPA will be followed.
The entire cost of the bus including adaptations for disabled access and media use will be covered through grant applications and an initial lump sum provided by Measham Mobility. The application to NWLDC for the £10,000 project is one of the funding routes. (see capital budget attached for full details)
The bus will be self sustaining – ie all the direct costs of managing it will be covered through the income received. The detailed draft budget can be found in the appendices. Note the grant applications will cover the first year running costs to provide a contingency.
Service
This service is for people living in the locality (specifically Appleby, Measham, Snarestone, Newton Burgoland). There is a reduced bus service in this area which is likely to disappear altogether in the near future. Through the initial feasibility, informal discussion, and community questionnaires it is of the opinion of the parties involved that this will provided a valuable service to the local community.
This will include, but not be exclusively limited to:
Interested Parties and Positive Links
Measham Mobility -
Measham Mobility have been delivering a service to older people in Measham and surrounding areas for a number of years. They are looking to invest their funds to a community bus that will benefit a greater number of people. They are passionate about continuing to deliver a service but have a declining number of older volunteers, and sufficient funds that have been built up which they are willing to share, rather than invest in the expensive maintenance of the existing older bus. They have a current service operating on a regular basis on Wednesdays (day time) and Thursday evenings, and a number of adhoc groups that use the facility on an occasional basis. Measham Mobility are keen to offer spaces on these existing outings (which tend to be older and socially isolated people) to people in Appleby and surrounds to supplement the current numbers.
Sir John Moore Foundation –
SJMF operate under the themes of heritage, learning, community and enterprise. Having an active involvement in this project hits all four of those target areas in numerous ways.
The bus provides the Foundation with an opportunity to enhance its existing work with young people, develop relationships with local schools and community groups and promote the work of the Foundation. As an accredited museum the bus will enable opportunities to share our heritage and gather stories to further interpret the history of the site and village. New grant funded opportunities such a ‘mobile memory collecting’ will be explored as a potential use as well as intergenerational skill sharing between young and older community members, using the bus as a focal point.
The housing and care of the bus on site will create opportunities for young people to be involved and bring funds in to the Foundation to cover administration and maintenance. The garage, sign writers and other businesses located in Appleby will also play an active role and offer new partnership opportunities between the Foundation, young people and the local community.
A possible enterprising and community beneficial use is the potential use of the bus to transport visitors home or to their hotels after weddings. Removing visitors from site is sometimes an issue and has caused some concerns with neighbours, this may help relieve some of these tensions – and contribute to the sustainability of the bus too.
The visual daily presence, positive activities and genuine support provided to local groups, schools and individuals will directly and indirectly broaden the support base of the foundation; increase the awareness of the activities and facilities on offer and provide positive routes to engage with a greater number of people.
Appleby Magna Parish Council -
The Council support the need for the bus for the local community as evidenced in their participation and action of the initial Feasibility Study, and application through the NWLDC scheme. AMPC welcome the involvement of the SJMF and Measham Mobility to manage the day to day operations having not got the capacity themselves.
Bus specification
The details of the bus have been agreed with a specialist contractor. The details are included in the appendix.
The following parameters have been decided. The bus will:
Detailed Operations
Drivers
There will be three types of drivers...
These will have all completed a driver form, provided evidence of their competence and have a DBS (new name for CRB) and provided a copy of their driving licence. The criteria for insurance will be met and checked.
Existing drivers available include:
An online diary would be set up and groups wanting to use the bus can book in. New groups or individuals will call the office in the first instance. A series of events and trips will be planned with the volunteer drivers and scheduled in. (Eg trip to Birmingham Xmas Markets). These will be advertised through part of the Foundations existing newsletter and web site, Measham Messenger and Parish News. Regular bookings will be input into the google calendar and other bookings will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Maintenance
The specific requirements for running a mini bus would be detailed in a manual produced by the bus working group. This will include a full list of all the items on the bus which will be regularly checked (See details of these in the appendices)
Specific maintenance requirements will be strictly adhered to, as laid down in the manual, including...
Due to the grant being in the name of the charity, and the VAT registration of the Parish Council the most practical option is the Parish Council purchase the bus in the first instance. Full insurance, for multi drivers plus break down cover will operate on the bus. This will be renewed annually and a full allocation in the budget will allow for this.
Finances and Charges
Note on VAT - initially it was thought that the Parish Council may be able to reclaim the VAT however, this needs to be fully investigated, so all costs in the budget are assumed inclusive of VAT.
Re ongoing charges and accounts. There will be a simple system set up for charging (as currently done by Measham Mobility). This will be based on agreed rates. The private hire rates subsidising community and charity use.
These have been used in the budget. A full cost break down has been included covering anticipated costs.
Replacement cost
If the project is successful the working group, on behalf of the participating users, will approach the various Parish Councils to ask for an allocation of funds to be put aside on an annual basis for future replacement which could supplement any future grant applications. Schools may be able to do the same through capital budgets available to them if the service proves to be successful.
Note on Hire v Purchase
The entire capital cost and the first years running cost will come from grants, there will be no obligation or expectation from funders that the project will need to create a surplus to cover the cost of any future replacement or continue the project if it became unsustainable.
In 2014 over £2,000 was spent on hiring various buses for the summer course which also included time spent organising drivers, picking up and delivery. Having one on site will provide easy access and reduce the additional time costs incurred.
The Foundation applies for grants to run specific projects and these will have an element towards the hire of the bus built in.
An element of income from the usage will supplement the Foundations income and contribute towards administration and marketing. The regular checks and valeting can also be completed in house with a further allocation subsidising this. It will be possible for local young people to get involved and gain experience and possibly a qualification through assisting with this.
An additional advantage of having a local bus is the convenience of having it on site / local and being able to multi use it. The flexibility and opportunities it could open up can be thoroughly investigated and realised.
Appendices
Appendix 1 - specification
From Mini bus options - Whaley Bridge
Bus Spec and example
The bus we included in the bid is a new Peugeot Boxer. With full wheel chair accessibility - including a tail lift.
(Peugeot Boxer 440 L4H2 Window Van 3990Kgs 2.2HDi 130bhp (Euro5) (FWD) (W) April 2014)
A full spec has been attached below to download
This is based on advice to do with our requirements, weight and maximising the seating capacity.
No of seats - 17 including the driver
Colour to be decided - although we were thinking not white perhaps Grey with burgandy wrap / trimmings in side.
The image shows an example of a partial wrap.
We have been considering a background with Measham and Appleby landmarks (the School - Appleby and the church - Measham) - with trees / countryside as a 'watermark' with silhouettes of people of all ages (including skaters / wheelchairs / family etc) on the body with a number to ring and the logos of the three organising bodies, the funders and the contact details for the person taking bookings.
MEDIA & other extras ELEMENT
The brief was to provide a media / entertainment environment based on the vehicle proposed for your wheelchair accessible minibus. These features should not intrude on the operation of the vehicle for your service, though when required would provide innovative solutions for the benefit of a wider audience. The power supply for these extra features would not be independent but would rely on mains electricity input. That said some extra features might be best operated through the vehicle’s own 12v battery so the package will include an in-built mains charger for the vehicle battery.
There will be two added features (other than input / output sockets) which might be immediately apparent: an awning mounted within a cassette to the length of the nearside and an internal luggage locker which will house fixed equipment such as the karaoke and amplifier and will provide space to store items such as portable speakers, microphones and cabling.
The following items are included in the initial Media package:
1) Awning (manual deploy) to length of nearside
2) Exterior input socket for mains power. Cable supplied
3) External sockets to provide HDMI (video / audio) / USB, microphone / power output
4) Two LED Scene lights to illuminate length of vehicle nearside
5) Internal sockets to provide HDMI (video / audio) / microphone / power output
6) Internal luggage locker to nearside with hinged access doors
7) Karaoke and amplifier permanently installed within locker
8) Loose items included and stored within locker – 2x microphone, 2x speakers, exterior mains hook-up cable
9) Four studio lights (these could be fixed or portable) to support video work
10) Portable monitor (to be taken outside vehicle to support karaoke performance)
Appendix 2 - budget cost purchase and funders - updated Sep 2015
Appendix 3 Ongoing Budget and timetable
Appendix 4 Items that will be kept in the bus
Bus Pack List
Additional Bus content.
Appendix 5
Supplementary Information for Drivers
Drivers who passed their test after 1st January 1997 are not given this category and are now required to pass PCV minibus theory, medical and practical tests to obtain a D1 licence. In these circumstances however, you may drive a minibus with up to 16 seats only in the UK provided that you will be driving on behalf of a non-commercial body for social purposes, but not for hire or reward unless under a permit. You will also need to be over 21 years of age and have held a car (category B) licence for at least 2 years. The services you are providing must be on a voluntary basis and the minibus maximum weight must be no more than 3.5 tonnes (3500 kg) excluding any special equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers (4250kg). Drivers aged 70 and over will also need to meet the health standards for driving a vehicle (i.e. minibus) which comes with the D1 class. If you are driving for hire and reward under a Section 19 permit and you are being paid, you can only do so if you have passed a further test to obtain Category D1 Licence.If your licence was issued before 1/1/97 then automatic
If the driver is on a hire journey a D1 entitlement would be required.
Many community transport organisations and charities now operate minibuses under a section 19 permit which, allows for the service provided to be for the organisations’ own members or for groups of people whom the organisation serves. Such organisations can charge or accept a form of remuneration for providing transport at a level to recover some or all of the costs of running the vehicle, and may even include an allowance for vehicle depreciation but the service must not be provided to members of the general public and the charges made must be on a non-profit basis. This non-profit requirement extends to cover any direct costs connected with a particular trip such as expenses incurred by volunteers, but not the wages of any staff involved.
A driver of a Section 19 permit minibus can either be paid or an unpaid volunteer
Note separate rules apply if a driver has only got an automatic entitlement.
Appendix 6
Example Timetable
Appendix 7
Groups already indicating that they would use the facility include:
Date: November 11th 2014 - updated September 3rd 2015
Prepared by:
Deana Wildgoose (Foundation Manager) with Lindsay Swinfield (Clerk to Appleby Parish Council)
and Alan Oakes (Chairman of Measham Mobility)
The purpose of this report is to summarise the progress to date on the Community Bus Project and to update all parties as to current situation.
Introduction
The Foundation, with Measham Mobility and Appleby Parish Council have joined forces to provide an additional service for the local community. This follows a joint feasibility undertaken in 2012 and an ongoing partnership between Measham Mobility and Sir John Moore.
The bus will replace the existing Measham Community Bus and be based in Appleby, owned by the Parish Council and managed by a working group with representatives from all three bodies that will over-see the operation and finances. The facility will be kitted out with some media elements to enable outreach activities. The full specification has been developed with a specialist firm in Whaley Bridge (Mini bus options - managing director Steve Moore)
The bus will be available to local schools, groups and individuals to use. It will be operated to encourage and support a wide variety of community groups and people to benefit. Its none commercial use will be supplemented by private hire to support the overall finances. Key is its mixed use ensuring long term sustainability and providing a platform for social interaction between community groups and individuals.
As a media mini-bus it will enable all members of the community to learn new skills with a focus on young people delivering outreach sessions.
Local people will be able to become drivers and provide valuable volunteer opportunities for individuals. The vehicle will be specified in order to meet all current legislation on licence requirements. The bus will have a S19 operators licence to enable it to run 'fared' journeys for the general public as well as group bookings for educational, social and community use.
All aspects of running the bus will be covered in a manual and all health and safety, maintenance, safeguarding and liabilities will be covered through proper management, obtaining appropriate advice and relevant insurance and break down cover.
In preparing these documents and plans additional advice has been sought from experts in the field including Marlene Reid Centre (community bus scheme), Ford and ROSPA. The guidance provided in the Mini Bus Safety Code of Practice produced by ROSPA will be followed.
The entire cost of the bus including adaptations for disabled access and media use will be covered through grant applications and an initial lump sum provided by Measham Mobility. The application to NWLDC for the £10,000 project is one of the funding routes. (see capital budget attached for full details)
The bus will be self sustaining – ie all the direct costs of managing it will be covered through the income received. The detailed draft budget can be found in the appendices. Note the grant applications will cover the first year running costs to provide a contingency.
Service
This service is for people living in the locality (specifically Appleby, Measham, Snarestone, Newton Burgoland). There is a reduced bus service in this area which is likely to disappear altogether in the near future. Through the initial feasibility, informal discussion, and community questionnaires it is of the opinion of the parties involved that this will provided a valuable service to the local community.
This will include, but not be exclusively limited to:
- Shopping service - door to door for older people
- School / Work trips to Ashby (especially in light of the external bus proposals)
- Outreach music and media activities for community groups, particularly young people
- Hiring facility for community clubs, societies and groups (trips out, meetings, visits)
- School use - for activities such as inter school events, gifted and talented activities, small group trips
- Evening Bingo trips
- Luncheon clubs
- Private hire
Interested Parties and Positive Links
Measham Mobility -
Measham Mobility have been delivering a service to older people in Measham and surrounding areas for a number of years. They are looking to invest their funds to a community bus that will benefit a greater number of people. They are passionate about continuing to deliver a service but have a declining number of older volunteers, and sufficient funds that have been built up which they are willing to share, rather than invest in the expensive maintenance of the existing older bus. They have a current service operating on a regular basis on Wednesdays (day time) and Thursday evenings, and a number of adhoc groups that use the facility on an occasional basis. Measham Mobility are keen to offer spaces on these existing outings (which tend to be older and socially isolated people) to people in Appleby and surrounds to supplement the current numbers.
Sir John Moore Foundation –
SJMF operate under the themes of heritage, learning, community and enterprise. Having an active involvement in this project hits all four of those target areas in numerous ways.
The bus provides the Foundation with an opportunity to enhance its existing work with young people, develop relationships with local schools and community groups and promote the work of the Foundation. As an accredited museum the bus will enable opportunities to share our heritage and gather stories to further interpret the history of the site and village. New grant funded opportunities such a ‘mobile memory collecting’ will be explored as a potential use as well as intergenerational skill sharing between young and older community members, using the bus as a focal point.
The housing and care of the bus on site will create opportunities for young people to be involved and bring funds in to the Foundation to cover administration and maintenance. The garage, sign writers and other businesses located in Appleby will also play an active role and offer new partnership opportunities between the Foundation, young people and the local community.
A possible enterprising and community beneficial use is the potential use of the bus to transport visitors home or to their hotels after weddings. Removing visitors from site is sometimes an issue and has caused some concerns with neighbours, this may help relieve some of these tensions – and contribute to the sustainability of the bus too.
The visual daily presence, positive activities and genuine support provided to local groups, schools and individuals will directly and indirectly broaden the support base of the foundation; increase the awareness of the activities and facilities on offer and provide positive routes to engage with a greater number of people.
Appleby Magna Parish Council -
The Council support the need for the bus for the local community as evidenced in their participation and action of the initial Feasibility Study, and application through the NWLDC scheme. AMPC welcome the involvement of the SJMF and Measham Mobility to manage the day to day operations having not got the capacity themselves.
Bus specification
The details of the bus have been agreed with a specialist contractor. The details are included in the appendix.
The following parameters have been decided. The bus will:
- weigh less than 4.2 tonnes
- have a wheel chair accessible tail lift
- have less than 16 seats (current Ford design is 14)
Detailed Operations
Drivers
There will be three types of drivers...
- Volunteer driver ‘expert’ (experienced driver able to train others)
- Volunteer driver (part of a local team that have had the training, and offered their services for groups or parties requiring the bus )
- Group driver (the named driver for a group or organisation)
These will have all completed a driver form, provided evidence of their competence and have a DBS (new name for CRB) and provided a copy of their driving licence. The criteria for insurance will be met and checked.
Existing drivers available include:
- Alwyn Thorpe (MIDAS trained driver for Castle Donnington and Marlene Reid) - volunteer trainer and driver (monthly or weekly)
- Steve Laud (PCV licence holder, McPhearsons Coaches) - volunteer trainer
- Derek Chapman (Experienced driver - volunteer on youth courses)
- Plus, existing drivers currently operating under Measham Mobility.
- Additional volunteer drivers from the user groups and organisations will be trained to be able to use the bus.
An online diary would be set up and groups wanting to use the bus can book in. New groups or individuals will call the office in the first instance. A series of events and trips will be planned with the volunteer drivers and scheduled in. (Eg trip to Birmingham Xmas Markets). These will be advertised through part of the Foundations existing newsletter and web site, Measham Messenger and Parish News. Regular bookings will be input into the google calendar and other bookings will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Maintenance
The specific requirements for running a mini bus would be detailed in a manual produced by the bus working group. This will include a full list of all the items on the bus which will be regularly checked (See details of these in the appendices)
Specific maintenance requirements will be strictly adhered to, as laid down in the manual, including...
- Tail lift test every half year
- Annual MOT (including when new)
- Regular 10 week check (in house by a competent person)
- User checks (walk round check before every journey) – completed by the drivers
Due to the grant being in the name of the charity, and the VAT registration of the Parish Council the most practical option is the Parish Council purchase the bus in the first instance. Full insurance, for multi drivers plus break down cover will operate on the bus. This will be renewed annually and a full allocation in the budget will allow for this.
Finances and Charges
Note on VAT - initially it was thought that the Parish Council may be able to reclaim the VAT however, this needs to be fully investigated, so all costs in the budget are assumed inclusive of VAT.
Re ongoing charges and accounts. There will be a simple system set up for charging (as currently done by Measham Mobility). This will be based on agreed rates. The private hire rates subsidising community and charity use.
These have been used in the budget. A full cost break down has been included covering anticipated costs.
Replacement cost
If the project is successful the working group, on behalf of the participating users, will approach the various Parish Councils to ask for an allocation of funds to be put aside on an annual basis for future replacement which could supplement any future grant applications. Schools may be able to do the same through capital budgets available to them if the service proves to be successful.
Note on Hire v Purchase
The entire capital cost and the first years running cost will come from grants, there will be no obligation or expectation from funders that the project will need to create a surplus to cover the cost of any future replacement or continue the project if it became unsustainable.
In 2014 over £2,000 was spent on hiring various buses for the summer course which also included time spent organising drivers, picking up and delivery. Having one on site will provide easy access and reduce the additional time costs incurred.
The Foundation applies for grants to run specific projects and these will have an element towards the hire of the bus built in.
An element of income from the usage will supplement the Foundations income and contribute towards administration and marketing. The regular checks and valeting can also be completed in house with a further allocation subsidising this. It will be possible for local young people to get involved and gain experience and possibly a qualification through assisting with this.
An additional advantage of having a local bus is the convenience of having it on site / local and being able to multi use it. The flexibility and opportunities it could open up can be thoroughly investigated and realised.
Appendices
Appendix 1 - specification
From Mini bus options - Whaley Bridge
Bus Spec and example
The bus we included in the bid is a new Peugeot Boxer. With full wheel chair accessibility - including a tail lift.
(Peugeot Boxer 440 L4H2 Window Van 3990Kgs 2.2HDi 130bhp (Euro5) (FWD) (W) April 2014)
A full spec has been attached below to download
This is based on advice to do with our requirements, weight and maximising the seating capacity.
No of seats - 17 including the driver
Colour to be decided - although we were thinking not white perhaps Grey with burgandy wrap / trimmings in side.
The image shows an example of a partial wrap.
We have been considering a background with Measham and Appleby landmarks (the School - Appleby and the church - Measham) - with trees / countryside as a 'watermark' with silhouettes of people of all ages (including skaters / wheelchairs / family etc) on the body with a number to ring and the logos of the three organising bodies, the funders and the contact details for the person taking bookings.
MEDIA & other extras ELEMENT
The brief was to provide a media / entertainment environment based on the vehicle proposed for your wheelchair accessible minibus. These features should not intrude on the operation of the vehicle for your service, though when required would provide innovative solutions for the benefit of a wider audience. The power supply for these extra features would not be independent but would rely on mains electricity input. That said some extra features might be best operated through the vehicle’s own 12v battery so the package will include an in-built mains charger for the vehicle battery.
There will be two added features (other than input / output sockets) which might be immediately apparent: an awning mounted within a cassette to the length of the nearside and an internal luggage locker which will house fixed equipment such as the karaoke and amplifier and will provide space to store items such as portable speakers, microphones and cabling.
The following items are included in the initial Media package:
1) Awning (manual deploy) to length of nearside
2) Exterior input socket for mains power. Cable supplied
3) External sockets to provide HDMI (video / audio) / USB, microphone / power output
4) Two LED Scene lights to illuminate length of vehicle nearside
5) Internal sockets to provide HDMI (video / audio) / microphone / power output
6) Internal luggage locker to nearside with hinged access doors
7) Karaoke and amplifier permanently installed within locker
8) Loose items included and stored within locker – 2x microphone, 2x speakers, exterior mains hook-up cable
9) Four studio lights (these could be fixed or portable) to support video work
10) Portable monitor (to be taken outside vehicle to support karaoke performance)
Appendix 2 - budget cost purchase and funders - updated Sep 2015
Appendix 3 Ongoing Budget and timetable
Appendix 4 Items that will be kept in the bus
Bus Pack List
- Drivers Check List - including any issues / fault log
- Competent Examiners Check List (more detailed inspection covering things like tyre pressure, oil, plus dealing with any faults or issues logged by drivers
- Disabled Blue Badge Information
- Contact Telephone Numbers and emergency numbers (Including insurance and emergency recovery)
- Approved Driver List
- Drivers Mileage Form
- ·Fuel Card and information
- (Spare new drivers forms) - completed drivers forms and copies of licences to be kept in the office
- Bus Contents List
- Drivers Guidelines and safeguarding
Additional Bus content.
- Garage Service log book and general vehicle instruction book kept in dashboard
- S19 Permit to be on display on front windscreen
- Yellow Childrens Signs
- Warning Triangle
- Hi Viz coat
- Umbrella
- Ice scraper
- Sick bags & bowls
- Bio hazzard kit
- Highway Code
- Fire extinguishers (2)
- First Aid Kit
- Kitchen roll
- Hand brush and dustpan
- Black bags
- CD / DVD player
- Speakers
- Screens
- Projector
- Stored away mikes and stands
- Fitted Screens
Appendix 5
Supplementary Information for Drivers
Drivers who passed their test after 1st January 1997 are not given this category and are now required to pass PCV minibus theory, medical and practical tests to obtain a D1 licence. In these circumstances however, you may drive a minibus with up to 16 seats only in the UK provided that you will be driving on behalf of a non-commercial body for social purposes, but not for hire or reward unless under a permit. You will also need to be over 21 years of age and have held a car (category B) licence for at least 2 years. The services you are providing must be on a voluntary basis and the minibus maximum weight must be no more than 3.5 tonnes (3500 kg) excluding any special equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers (4250kg). Drivers aged 70 and over will also need to meet the health standards for driving a vehicle (i.e. minibus) which comes with the D1 class. If you are driving for hire and reward under a Section 19 permit and you are being paid, you can only do so if you have passed a further test to obtain Category D1 Licence.If your licence was issued before 1/1/97 then automatic
If the driver is on a hire journey a D1 entitlement would be required.
Many community transport organisations and charities now operate minibuses under a section 19 permit which, allows for the service provided to be for the organisations’ own members or for groups of people whom the organisation serves. Such organisations can charge or accept a form of remuneration for providing transport at a level to recover some or all of the costs of running the vehicle, and may even include an allowance for vehicle depreciation but the service must not be provided to members of the general public and the charges made must be on a non-profit basis. This non-profit requirement extends to cover any direct costs connected with a particular trip such as expenses incurred by volunteers, but not the wages of any staff involved.
A driver of a Section 19 permit minibus can either be paid or an unpaid volunteer
Note separate rules apply if a driver has only got an automatic entitlement.
Appendix 6
Example Timetable
Appendix 7
Groups already indicating that they would use the facility include:
- Appleby Scouts
- Appleby WI
- Measham Mobility luncheon group
- Measham Baptist Church lunch group
- Measham Bingo group
- Measham Shopping group
- Appleby Shopping Group
- Appleby Welcome Club
- Appleby Art club
- Appleby Sewing Club
- Snarestone School
- Happy Hedgehogs Pre-School
- Newton Burgoland School
- Sir John Moore School
- Sir John Moore Film Club
- Sir John Moore Youth Club
- Tuesday social group
| Specification for Media Bus.pdf |
