Minibus Club Article Archive

Half a million people can’t be wrong, right? In fact, the Scout Association has more than 500,000 members, making it the UK’s biggest mixed youth movement. Moreover, the UK membership is a microcosm of what’s happening worldwide. Internationally, over 28 million youngsters across 216 countries enjoy the benefits of scouting. All of them have one thing in common: scout trips often rely on minibuses and good minibus insurance is required.

What is good minibus insurance, particularly for scout groups? Equally, where can you get such minibus insurance? The answers to these questions are simple enough but there’s an important point to bear in mind: not all minibus insurance is necessarily ‘good’.

The first requirement is legal insurance for the scout group’s minibus(es). Third-party insurance is the minimum legal requirement and it covers damage to the persons and property of third parties; some legal costs cover is usually included. This is, however, the most restricted type of insurance cover. A good insurer will generally recommend a more highly specified level of cover; adding fire and theft insurance or choosing the full comprehensive minibus insurance are worthwhile upgrades to think about.

It is obvious to seek minibus insurance from a good minibus insurance broker, but what makes such a broker ‘good’. In today’s highly competitive marketplace, insurance quotes must be attractively priced and the level of service must be high. Comparing insurance on price alone is a common, though hardly far sighted practice. As we’re talking ‘good’, it makes sense to look in some detail at the services provided in, or with, the insurance policy being considered.

What does this mean? To explain, we can look at the provisions made by a good minibus insurance concern. They include the following.

* AA-provided accident recovery.
* UK-based administration and call centres.
* Optional breakdown and recovery assistance, including AA ‘Homestart’.
* A freephone helpline that operates 24 hours daily, 365 days a year.
* Optional uninsured loss recovery, with cover for an appointed lawyer, up to £1m legal costs, and vehicle hire costs if part of the claim is agreed.
* The ability to pay in instalments.
* Swift turnaround of documentation.

It is quite clear that, with a minibus insurance policy, or with any kind of insurance policy for that matter, there are a number of boxes to be ticked. As is usually the case, there is a wealth of information to be found in the small print. Striking the correct balance between provisions, restrictions and price is merely a matter of undertaking assiduous research.

In the final analysis, finding the right insurance broker is an excellent stepping-stone towards choosing the right minibus insurance policy. In this instance, ‘right’ refers to the policy that covers not just most of the scout group’s needs but all of them. Setting aside the time to research the insurance cover you need is worthwhile, as it becomes time well spent. Here, the Scout Group’s motto, ‘Be Prepared’, couldn’t apply more!

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If you’d like to save money on your minibus insurance look no further than The Minibus Club. Why not visit their website to receive a free online quote for minibus insurance.

Some say it’s a man thing but it could also be a woman thing for all we know. The point is that some drivers, of minibuses or otherwise, feel that they can drive for intergalactic distances without turning a hair. Particularly when it comes to driving a minibus, you’re in charge of not only a large lump of moving metal, glass and plastic, you’re in charge of others’ lives. This is why minibus driving regulations exist and here, we’ll look at them as they apply in the UK. The regulations are a form of minibus insurance in their own right, and they are sensible enough.

When driving in the UK, minibus drivers are subject to UK Domestic Drivers’ Hours Rules. What’s more, you’re also subject to the Working Time Regulations 1998, S.I. 1833. Yes, this means very little to everyone else too, so an explanation of the definitions and limits that apply follows.

We can begin with what is considered a rest break. This is defined as, ‘Any period that a driver is freely able to dispose of his time, when not working during employment or carrying out other work, for a period of at least 1 hour.’. More simply, it’s an hour off duty; it’s insurance against nodding off at the wheel, or making a silly, possibly fatal, mistake.

So, for how long can you drive in a day? Domestic driver’s limits say you can drive for up to 10 hours at the wheel, actually driving. Add the required rest breaks and you can spend a total of 16 hours on duty in any one day. ‘Simples’, as the meerkat in the ads says. However, there is more, as follows.

You may drive for a maximum of 5.5 hours followed by a rest break 30 minutes long.
Alternatively, you may drive for 8.5 hours, including a 45-minute break, provided a further, 30-minute break follows.
You must rest for a minimum of 10 hours between working days. This can be reduced to a rest period of 8.5 hours on up to three days in any one week.
Between any two consecutive weeks, a minimum rest period of 24 hours must be taken.

The above is in fact perfectly simple, and all you need to know about now are the exceptions to the rules. These comprise the following.

Armed forces drivers, and the drivers of police and fire brigade vehicles are exempted from the limits.
Those not driving on public roads are exempted.
Private drivers, not receiving any payment for hire or reward and not driving in connection with employment are exempt.

These vehicles are also exempt from the 16 hours per day duty limit but not from the driving limits above.

Breakdown service vehicles (e.g. AA, RAC)
Vehicles used for inspection, maintenance, repair, installation, fitting or cleaning.
Vehicles used for commercial purposes, and goods vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.
Vehicles used by health authority staff: doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, and vets.
Vehicles used for film work, or radio and TV broadcasting.

Given that the above recommendations are to stop an outcome involving travelling along a roadside crash barrier like some sort of bizarre monorail car, they’re hardly Draconian. Nevertheless there is a final proviso that is equally sensible. Should an event occur that demands immediate action to preserve life or health, or to give immediate access to telecommunication or postal services, the UK Domestic Rules are relaxed.

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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.