School minibuses – a safety guide

<p>Particularly when driving groups of young children to and from school or on school trips, it’s incredibly important to ensure your vehicle is not only maintained to a high standard, but all drivers receive the proper training, the right permits are in place, and any specific health & safety procedures are adhered to during every journey. </p>

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<p>So, to arm you with all the information you need to drive and maintain a school minibus with the utmost safety for both you and your passengers, we’ve created this; school minibuses - a safety guide. </p>

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<h3>School minibuses - a safety guide</h3>

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<p><b>Personal responsibility</b></p>

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<p><i>The driver is personally responsible for the vehicle.</i>  

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<p>If you or anyone within your organisation volunteers to drive a school minibus, it’s really important to remember that you - or whoever is driving it at the time - are personally responsible for its overall roadworthiness whenever you’re behind the wheel.</p>

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<p>This means that if for any reason you stopped by police on a journey and they deem the vehicle to be defective in any way, you are held personally accountable as the driver. </p>

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<p>Depending on the severity of the issue, this could mean anything from a personal warning or fine to points on your licence or even prosecution. Therefore, it’s really important that whoever is driving the vehicle takes a moment before setting off on each journey to carry out the necessary safety checks to ensure the vehicle is in full working order. </p>

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<p><b>Comprehensive insurance</b></p>

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<p><i>Gain comprehensive cover for all uses.</i></p>

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<p>Whether you have a company car, a coach, a minibus or a vehicle strictly for personal use, they all have one thing in common - insurance. Insurance is such an important part of owning any vehicle, and a school minibus is no different. </p>

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<p>To drive a school minibus, you need comprehensive cover that covers all uses of the minibus, including; every individual allowed to drive the minibus, the total maximum number of passengers able to travel on the minibus, and a weight of said passengers. </p>

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<p>Don’t afraid to get granular this your insurance policy - have those conversations with your provider and ensure you have every eventuality covered. If something happens that you’re not covered for, you’re responsible.</p>   

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<p><b>Drivers need training</b></p>

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<p><i>Ensure all drivers receive basic training. </i></p>

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<p>Anyone driving a school minibus needs proper training, even if you have a wealth of experience. </p>

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<p>This training needs to include:</p> 

<ul>

<li>Familiarisation with a vehicle</li>

<li>Basic checks that need to be carried out before each journey</li>

<li>Loading & unloading the vehicle</li>

<li>Securing wheelchairs </li>

<li>A use of seat belts & harnesses</li>

<li>Planning a journey and assessing the road</li>

<li>Any emergency procedures</li>

<li>Use of passenger lift (if required)</li>

<li>Caring for passengers </li>

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</ul>

<p><b>Permits and legal documents</b></p>

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<p><i>Check whether you need a Section 19 permit.</i></p>

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<p>If minibus journeys are funded to an extent by external sources, such as parents, PTAs or maybe a charity or generous local business, you’ll need to acquire a <a href="<https://www.advanced-kfs.co.uk/services/people-movers/school-minibus/>">minibus</a> & community bus permit, often referred to as a Section 19 permit. </p>

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<p>A Section 19 permit is specifically for organisations concerned with education, welfare or activities benefiting a community and they allow organisations to make a charge without the need for a driver to have a PCV (D1 or D) entitlement. This applies to a UK only.</p> 

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<p><b>Accessibility and passenger care</b></p>

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<p></i>Allow for a safe and comfortable journey for everyone. </i></p>

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<p>School minibuses need to <a href="<https://www.advanced-kfs.co.uk/services/people-movers/accessible-minibus/>">be accessible</a>; meaning that anyone using a vehicle with any type of mobility impairment should be able to get on & off the bus, sit on the bus and use any facilities on a bus comfortably and safely. </p>

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<p>This means ensuring that things like allowing adequate space for wheelchairs, harnesses for securing wheelchairs, and passenger lifts are all in place wherever necessary. </p>

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<p>Alongside this, when embarking on journeys with SEN children, it’s really important that at least 2 members of staff are on hand in a vehicle, as well as a driver, to ensure a driver remains free from distraction and all passengers remain calm & comfortable throughout. </p>

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<p><b>Driving licences</b></p>

<p><i>There’s more to driving licences than you think! </i></p>

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<p>We might be teaching you to suck eggs here but no school minibuses - a safety guide would be complete without stressing the importance of a driver having a full, clean driving licence. </p>

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<p>However, whilst you probably know this, what you may not know is that drivers must also:</p> 

<ul>

<li>Be at least 21 years old</li>

<li>Have a Section 19 permit (if required)</li>

<li>Be insured to drive a vehicle in question</li>

<li>Have a full driving licence for at least 2 years when driving with a Section 19 permit</li>

<li>Not drive a minibus with more than 16 passenger seats</li>

</ul>

<p>As a side note, it’s also useful to know that if you passed your driving test before 1st January 1997, you would have automatically gained Category B & D1 entitlements, qualifying you to drive minibuses.</p> 

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<p>Of course, there’s more we could say about school minibuses and a importance of, not only your passengers remaining safe during each journey, but also your drivers, as well as safeguarding a reputation of your school.</p>

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<p>However, for now we’ll leave you with this final thought on school minibuses - a safety guide: </p>

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<p><i>You can never be too careful. </i></p>

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<p>Ensure any school minibus you invest in is of an exceptional quality, conversions meet your unique requirements, and a vehicle is regularly serviced. </p>

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<p>To talk to us about what you need from a school minibus, <a href="<https://www.advanced-kfs.co.uk/contact/>">contact us</a> today.<p>