School or college responsibilities

The overriding responsibility of a school or college is, of course, to ensure the safe and legal operation of a minibus or other vehicle. The principal considerations, covered in more detail on this web site, are:

• Designating an individual to ‘own’ and manage the vehicle including arranging maintenance, safety checks, defect reporting and rectification. You will find helpful information in the Managing and operating a minibus and Safely maintaining, servicing and repairing a minibus sections of this site.  
• Ensuring that the vehicle is driven only by those with the requisite licences. Drivers licensed after 1997 and drivers who took their driving test outside the UK are unlikely to have the necessary D1 entitlement on their licence. They will be required to pass a D1 test or undertake special additional training, although a significant number of restrictions still apply even after special training. Full details are at the site page Driver licensing.
• Ensuring that licensed drivers are fully trained in the particular requirements of minibus driving and have the skills and knowledge needed to drive a minibus safely (see the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme – MiDAS page).