Minibus Club Article Archive

Driving a minibus is exactly like driving a car, right? This statement is fine but for the word ‘exactly’. A minibus has a car-like cockpit, the same kind of controls operate the onboard facilities and the minibus’s on-road behaviour is like a car’s. That said, you get the benefits of a high driving position and the enhanced vision that goes with it. However, there are significant differences and adapting your driving style to suit is important.

The main difference between a car and a minibus can be expressed in one word: scale. It’s obvious that a minibus is the bigger vehicle and its greater weight must be allowed for. Driving a minibus is like driving a car on a larger scale.

In terms of size, it’s best to think of your minibus as a box on wheels. Its nose may be shorter than your car’s bonnet but a minibus’s tail extends much further behind the driving seat. A minibus is also considerably wider than a car, as well as taller. No matter how wide-ranging the cover provided by your minibus insurance may be, you’d lose out from a string of small claims from minor incidents. Pay attention to your minibus’s physical ‘footprint’ on the road and your no claims discount will survive.

A simple way of doing this is used by novice drivers of larger vehicles. Jot down your minibus’s external dimensions – length, width and height – clearly on a sticky label and place it somewhere near your line of sight. You may pooh-pooh this, saying, “I don’t need that, I can judge the size of my minibus”. That’s fine, if in the early stages, you remember it when driving or manoeuvring in a tight spot or approaching a car-park height barrier. Your ‘size sticker’ is a reminder and the alternative ugly crunching sound when you touch something would cost far, far more.

Weight is the other aspect and it’s just as important. A minibus is heavier than a car, period. This is obvious on paper but less obvious are the on-road dynamic abilities of a minibus, until you’re driving one. Punchy turbo diesel engine or not, a minibus will accelerate less quickly than a car. It will steer less precisely than a car, it’s body will roll more in corners and it will take more stopping than a car. Your driving style will soon accommodate these differences but you need to remain aware of them.

Arguably the most significant factor in the combination of the size and weight of a minibus lies in its ‘presence’ on the road. Being bigger and heavier than a car, a minibus has a greater presence on the road, just as, say, an articulated lorry has a greater presence than a minibus. This gives you, the driver, a responsibility. When, for example, negotiating a roundabout or a tricky junction, you need to signal what you intend to do and do exactly what your indicators are telling other drivers. Being timid, indecisive or irresolute behind the wheel will rightly earn you other drivers’ disrespect. Equally, being a bully will arouse anger.

Above all, remember that the drivers of larger vehicles are generally professional drivers. Minibus drivers should aim to emulate, if not assume a professional approach to driving.

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If you’d like to save money on your minibus insurance, look no further than The Minibus Club. Request a FREE quote now by calling our hotline on 0845 609 0323 or visit our website at www.minibusclub.co.uk.

As the financial crisis puts an ever-tightening grip on everyone’s funds, getting the maximum mileage from the fuel we buy for our minibus is more than just desirable.

Peak Efficiency

Modern diesel engines are very efficient. As these hints and tips show, achieving the best fuel consumption isn’t difficult, just apply these sensible, logical rules when using your minibus. Get into the habit and you’ll reap significant rewards.

Prep School

Preparing your minibus to achieve the best fuel consumption is easy and much of the preparation involves one-off tasks…

· Tyres can be a drag. The minibus manufacturer’s tyre pressures are the right ones but often, you can tweak them to a slightly higher figure. Conversely, under-inflated tyres worsen economy.

· Consider having ‘economy’ tyres fitted to your minibus next time around. Most tyre manufacturers offer tyres that give better mpg.

· Got freeloading passengers? You may feel that you need your de-icer year-round, that the coats, Wellington boots and seventeen paperbacks in the back of the minibus are essential. Yet everything aboard is dead weight. Take items like a fire extinguisher and a small tool kit but leave the rest at home – don’t give it a free ride.

· Must the minibus carry a full load of fuel all the time? No, unless you know you’ll be driving for many miles or to places where the garages close early, fill up with only as much fuel as you need, plus a percentage for emergencies. Hoarding heavy fuel aboard your minibus for no good reason is uneconomical.

· Are you using the best fuel? The ‘high-performance’ diesel fuels on offer can be the more efficient in modern minibuses. Try calculating the difference from your mileometer. As the engine’s electronics adapt to the new fuel, the result may surprise you.

· Beware of ‘brewing’ your own fuel, from cooking oil, for example. A modern engine’s fuel pump is a precision instrument; the wrong fuel could destroy it.

Pilot’s Briefing

The minibus’s maker can only offer its user so much. How you drive can make a vast difference to economy…

· Any internal combustion engine is least efficient when it’s cold. Always start driving from cold – warming a minibus at rest is very costly.

· Drive your minibus efficiently. Diesel engines are low revving but have a broad power band. Use this to get into the highest possible gear quickly.

· Moderate your speed. A higher average speed may save you time but the greater road drag and wind resistance are expensive on fuel.

· Plan your route carefully. Driving your minibus at a consistent cruising speed on an open road is far more economical than continual acceleration, gear changing and braking. Try to use motorways or dual carriageways wherever possible.

· Pay attention to your journey’s timing. Jams occur at commuting times, even on motorways. Steer clear at these times, or make your stops while the office workers are travelling.

· Get a satnav fitted to your minibus with TMC (Traffic Message Channel) technology…then you can avoid traffic jams using its live updates.

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If you’d like to save money on your minibus insurance, look no further than The Minibus Club. Request a FREE quote now by calling our hotline on 0845 609 0323 or visit our website at www.minibusclub.co.uk.