E&I considers licence change for charity minibus drivers

This has emerged followed concerns being raised about the high cost of taking tests for minibus drivers, who need a D1 licence to use a vehicle carrying 12 passengers.

The same size and type of vehicle, but with just nine seats, can be driven by anyone with a car licence.

Cheryl Lowe has worked for the Guernsey Voluntary Service for three years as transport coordinator and is also deputy manager at Jubilee House.

The GVS has three buses, two of which are used almost every day to transport people from their homes to the day centres at Jubilee and The Russels, Le Grand Courtil.

Each is the same size of vehicle, but while the two in daily use have 12 seats, the other is a standby bus which has had three seats removed.

Mrs Lowe has driven this vehicle in the past, but it is now being used about twice a week, she said.

But with a shortage of D1 licence-holders Mrs Lowe took some lessons and then the D1 test so she could use the 12-seater if necessary.

On the first test she was allowed to drive the minibus with the fewer seats.

She said that she failed on her first test on a minor mistake.

‘And the day before my second one I was told I couldn’t use the spare bus.

'I had to use the bus I’d not driven before which had the handbrake on the other side, and the camera on the other side.’

She was worried this might have caused her to fail again, but fortunately she passed.

Although she contributed towards the cost of lessons and the tests, the whole process cost the charity over £500.

‘I think for the sake of three seats charities could be saved a lot of money and stress,’ she said.

E&I vice president Adrian Gabriel said the committee was aware of the issues raised by Mrs Lowe.

‘I attended a local third sector conference earlier this year and one of the outputs was to consider the licensing requirements,’ he said.

‘I’m pleased that work on this matter is already under way and the committee will be considering a paper on this shortly.’