Minibus Club Article Archive

Minibuses give flexibility and versatility that public transport providers simply cannot offer. This makes them particularly valuable for use by charitable organisations. Such non profit-making organisations can benefit from the cost savings associated with specialist minibus insurance. Here are the details charities need to know.

The three specific types of minibus insurance have their pros and cons. Third Party Only insurance is the minimum legal requirement. Such insurance covers liability for injury to, or the death of third parties, along with liability for damage to other people’s property, and legal costs related to claims against the policy.

Third Party, Fire and Theft cover comes next in the minibus insurance hierarchy. The benefits of this are fairly obvious. Should the minibus be stolen or be fire damaged, insurance for these eventualities is included.

The third and final type of minibus insurance is Comprehensive cover. This, though it’s the most expensive, is the most popular with charities that use a minibus. Comprehensive minibus insurance may provide replacements for personal effects lost in an accident or through theft. Post-accident medical expenses may be met, and cover against damage to the minibus’s windscreen and windows may be offered. A specialist minibus insurance broker will be able to detail what is covered and can offer a bespoke policy that caters for a customer’s needs.

Often, charity minibus insurance policies carry additional benefits. These can include a provision to pay by instalments rather than in a single lump sum. Post-accident and/or breakdown recovery may be included, as might roadside breakdown assistance, from a known provider capable of dealing with a minibus. A 24-hour helpline, operating from a year-round UK centre that can be called at no charge is a desirable bonus. Also, the option of uninsured loss recovery, including cover for a lawyer, legal costs and vehicle hire costs, is well worth seeking. Again, a specialised minibus insurance provider will be happy to advise you.

Having learned what to expect from a charity minibus insurance provider, it is necessary for you to understand what the provider will expect from you. Apart from meeting the expected driving licence requirements for using a minibus, the charity will need to provide one of two permits. In order to prove to the provider that the minibus to be insured is in fact to be put to charitable and non profit-making use, the charity will have to have a Section 19 or Section 22 permit. Charities whose activities are seen to benefit a community may apply for a Section 19 permit. Under this, minibus drivers may be volunteers or may receive payment, and a small charge for vehicle operating costs may be levied by the charity.

Remaining with charity minibus insurance requirements, a minibus that is used to offer a non profit-making bus service needs a Section 22 permit. For this kind of permit, the driver may not be paid for his or her services; he or she must be a volunteer. Lastly, a minibus operator running a service on a profit-making basis must acquire a PCV/PSV licence.

As can be seen, minibus insurance specific to a charity is slightly different from other kinds of insurance. However, with the aid of a specialised broker, finding such insurance and meeting the permit requirements are easily done.

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Regardless of whether you’re driving a minibus, a car, or even a motorbike, the roads in Britain and on the Continent can be dangerous. To say so isn’t scaremongering because it is a fact that accidents happen. The following hints and tips will not only help you stay safe and have successful outings, they will also avoid your having to make unnecessary claims on your minibus insurance.

There are legal requirements associated with driving, from being sober to driving with due care and attention. There are also non-legal requirements that are at least as important, and not all apply solely to the use of a minibus. We’ve all seen motorway signs saying ‘Tiredness kills, take a break’. These are displayed for a reason. You may, as a minibus driver, feel that your ability to drive for long periods is faultless. These can be famous last words, especially as tiredness is insidious, it can creep up on you. If even remotely drowsy, let alone sleepy, do as the signs say and take a break. There’s no shame in admitting you could do with a rest and there’s nothing heroic about ploughing into the back of an articulated lorry or finding yourself clattering along a crash barrier at 60 miles per hour. Pull up at a motorway services, have some coffee and a snooze if necessary. This is obviously doubly important if you’ve a full complement of passengers. Bear in mind that you should always plan rest breaks into your journey, for your sake as well as that of your passengers.

Minibuses have their own requirements, over and above those of cars. Your minibus may have car-like attributes, including power-assisted steering and brakes, comfortable seats and a great heater, if not air conditioning. It is, however, bigger and heavier than a car. Consequently, it can’t accelerate as fast as a car, negotiate corners as proficiently and stop as quickly as a car can. You must allow for these factors, and not only in the more obvious senses. For example, a minibus has a much bigger side profile than a car. In side winds, and in the slipstream of a big lorry, it will be affected much more profoundly. This can be allowed for but it should never be forgotten.

Similar parameters apply to manoeuvering a minibus. Your windscreen, side glass, rear glass and mirrors may be spotless but you still have to allow for the size of the vehicle you’re handling. This is especially so when pedestrians are about. You may be unfortunate enough to touch a roadside obstacle, or even another vehicle, when manoeuvering. This will dent your pride rather more than it dents your minibus. Should you be unlucky enough to touch a pedestrian, you could be faced with something far more serious. A minibus fitted with reversing sensors and even a reversing warning is desirable. It’s more desirable still to have someone keeping a weather eye on what’s to the rear. In any case, do not reverse if there’s any doubt at all. Be safe before it’s too late, rather than sorry after the event.

These simple tips will not only save lives, not to mention preserving your dignity, they can also save a claim on your minibus insurance. Remember that, following an accident or incident like those mentioned here, there’s only one way the insurance premium can go. Here’s a clue: it isn’t down!

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We all know minibuses can’t fly but if you drive a minibus with passengers aboard, you have as much responsibility for your passengers’ safety as any airline pilot. In some respects you have more; an airline pilot can’t knock anyone down at a road junction because his brakes don’t work! Getting into the habit of making the five following checks pre-journey is easy and should be your standard practice.

1: Windscreen
Is it clean? Is it chipped? Is it cracked? You can’t see properly through a grimy windscreen in any conditions. A chipped or cracked minibus windscreen may be repairable but not after a speed bump or pothole has caused it to shatter. Keep it in tip-top condition and remember to check there’s enough washer fluid and that the wiper blades are perfect.

2: Mirrors
In some minibuses, the mirrors represent all of your rear vision. They can’t help if they’re dirty, chipped, cracked or maladjusted. Don’t forget that the mirrors can be bumped out of alignment when your minibus is parked. Don’t move a millimetre until your mirrors are 100 percent in every respect.

3: Lights
A light that isn’t working isn’t a light at all. Similarly, dirty lighting is inefficient. It only takes a few minutes to clean and check them. Also, carry spares bulbs (obligatory in most Continental countries) and fuses. Minibus lights operate in the same way as car lights and they need just as much attention.

4: Tyres
Squeezing the last few miles out of your tyre’s treads may be praiseworthy but your minibus insurance company may disagree about this. You need a minimum of 1.6mm of tread around the entire circumference of the tyres to be legal. Tread wear indicators are moulded in at the 2mm level and if these are showing level with the tread, you’re tyres are beyond a safe limit – 3mm all round is the practicable minimum tread level for a minibus.
Examine the tyres for splits, bulges, tread damage and sidewall cracking. Any and all of these can put you at risk of a blowout. Make sure the tyres at the minibus maker’s recommended pressure and don’t forget the spare - it may be needed in a hurry and if it isn’t checked, you’ll be in trouble.

5: Fuel
A minibus that’s run out of fuel obviously won’t be going anywhere, at least until the breakdown service arrives. Roadside fuel starvation is an embarrassing way of admitting that you were too lazy/preoccupied/forgetful (delete as applicable) to put in enough fuel for the entire journey.

Remember that servicing, on a yearly basis at least, is also your responsibility. Have servicing carried out by a reputable garage and don’t forget safety checks on the suspension, brakes and steering of your minibus. If you fail to look after your minibus, you are failing to look after your passengers. If the vehicle is unroadworthy, it is your fault and your minibus insurance company would be within its rights to deny any claim arising in consequence.

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Minibus insurance, like any other vehicle insurance, generally isn’t amusing. However, some insurance claims can’t help but raise a titter, like these did.

1: Weather Eye

This winter’s appalling weather prompted a driver to call a taxi (it may have been a minibus), for safety’s sake. When the taxi arrived, it skidded into his car. Oops!

2: A Sense of Duty

How about the car that made a citizen’s arrest? Thieves reckoned a Land Rover was the ideal car to steal for ram raiding. They aimed their ill-gotten transport at the doors of a jeweller’s shop. The trusty Land Rover hit the roller shutter door, climbed it, and fell on its tail. As the vehicle had wedged itself tightly in the doorway, the thieves couldn’t open the doors. When the police arrived in their marked minibus, they freed them - and then arrested them.

3: Woolly Jumper

A driver and his passenger got a shock when driving home from the pub. Something hit their car’s roof with a huge bang, denting it enough to hit the occupant’s heads. The car was braking hard and something slid down off the roof, landed on the bonnet, jumped off and ran away. It was a sheep, which had taken a leap of faith from a transporter lorry that had been involved in a collision with a minibus.

4: Dogged Driving

One man and his dog went to - the local shop for a paper. The man came back, newspaper in hand, to find the minibus - and the dog - were nowhere in sight. When asked, a passer-by said he’d just seen the minibus, being driven by a large dog. Which proves that if you leave a dog untended in a vehicle, it’s lead can become entangled with the handbrake - and release it. Fortunately, a parked car stopped the minibus before its canine commander had gone too far.

5: Nutkin Ventured

What is more enjoyable than a nice drive in an open car, through the sunlit woods? Usually nothing is but here, the car’s lady driver got a surprise visit. A careless squirrel fell out of a tree into her lap. The startled driver was so taken aback by this and the squirrel’s frantic escape attempts that she drove into a tree. A breakdown patrol minibus took the crestfallen lady home; the squirrel was last seen scrambling rapidly up the tree.

6: Rising Damp

The nice part of camper van ownership is that you can pull up and take a snooze in the back whenever you like. One Volkswagen Minibus owner did just this but made the mistake of parking on a beach. He woke to the sound of someone’s hammering on the window; he survived but the rising tide claimed his pride and joy. VW went down - happily without all hands.

7: One into Two Won’t Go

Two non minibus-driving motorists wanted the same parking space and they both went for it at once. In doing this, they got themselves firmly wedged against neighbouring parked cars and a minibus. Neither motorist could move and neither could open a door, they were stuck fast. The assembled bystanders found it hugely entertaining!

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In insuring a minibus, or any other vehicle for that matter, you are balancing the risk of accidental damage, theft or vandalism against the cost of guarding against it. Insurance is a legal necessity and it would be foolish to avoid having it in any case. However, there are ways to reduce both the initial cost and the risks it is protecting against. Here are nine ways to keep costs down.

1. By using a special minibus insurance provider
Most providers can offer insurance cover for virtually any vehicle. However, a company that specialises in minibus insurance will be able to provide the right kind of cover at an attractive price. This is a direct consequence of experience and it can extend to the matters of recovering a vehicle or making a claim.

2. By not paying for unnecessary cover
Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t buy something you don’t need so why pay more for minibus insurance cover that is over specified. For example, there is little point in paying for comprehensive cover on a minibus worth less than, say, £2000. The less costly third party fire and theft insurance would be more than adequate.

3. Don’t insure too many drivers
How often do you need an extra driver? Minibus use can dictate that another driver is needed for particular trips but it is pointless to insure him or her all year long. Organising temporary insurance cover with your minibus insurance provider is simple and costs considerably less.
Though drivers must be at least 21 to legally drive a minibus, someone of this age remains a young driver. As a result minibus insurance for him or her will be more expensive.

4. By not making small claims
Every insurance policy has an excess. Should the repair costs after a minor accident be at or only slightly above the excess figure, it makes sense for the costs to be met without making a claim on your minibus insurance. This will protect your no claims bonus and keep the insurance premium down.

5. By taking a recognised driving course
Minibus drivers who have successfully completed a recognised driving course may be entitled to a significant discount on their insurance premium. The Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MIDAS) is such a course.

6. By driving carefully
This may seem to be obvious advice but keeping your minibus in prime condition and driving it safely can reap benefits. This approach reduces the risk of accidents and helps build up your no claims bonus.

7. By not parking by the roadside at night.
A minibus parked in a garage or on a private drive at night is much less likely to be damaged by vandals or by passing vehicles. If you must park a minibus at the roadside overnight, try to put it in a secure, well lit area.

8. By not driving distracted
It only takes a moment’s inattention at the wheel to invite an accident. When driving your minibus, never attempt to use your mobile phone or communicate with your passengers via an on-board microphone. Discourage your passengers from talking to you while you’re driving. If the need to adjust a satnav or consult a map arises, find somewhere safe to stop first.

9. By keeping your speed down
Speeding in a minibus (or any other vehicle) can be costly in more than the obvious way. Points on a driver’s licence adversely affect his or her insurance premium, while over ambitious progress increases fuel consumption and vehicle wear.

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Some individuals, especially those with a large family, want to use a minibus as a family car. Is this possible? Yes, but there are a number of legal requirements to be met and practicalities to consider.

The simple definition of a minibus is that it has between nine and 16 passenger seats. A vehicle with a greater seating capacity constitutes a coach while an MPV or a people carrier with seven or eight seats is not a minibus.

Who can drive a minibus? Normally, a driver whose licence was issued after 1st January 1997 needs a Category D1 classification to drive a minibus. However, the holder of a full Category B, or car licence may drive a minibus provided -

1. It is used as a family vehicle only and not commercially.
2. The driver is over 21 and has held a category B licence for more than two years.
3. A driver over 70 meets D1 classification health standards.
4. The minibus doesn’t weigh over 3.5 tonnes, or over 4.25 tonnes if it has special equipment for disabled passengers.
5. The minibus isn’t towing a trailer.
6. It is only driven in the UK.

There are some practical necessities for driving a minibus in the UK. For example, it obviously makes sense to carry a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit at all times. Equally, not using the vehicle’s horn or reversing beepers between 11:30 pm and 7:00 am is a commonsense approach, as is using the vehicle’s side lights when it’s parked by the roadside at night. There are four UK speed limits for minibuses, the first being 30 mph in residential and urban areas. A 50 mph limit applies on single carriageway A roads; this rises to 60 mph on dual carriageway roads. The motorway speed limit for a minibus is 70 mph.

Minibus insurance is required by law in the UK, as it is for any vehicle. There are three levels of insurance, about which any good minibus insurance provider will advise you in detail. However, in simple terms, third-party insurance is the minimum legal requirement. This covers damage to third parties’ property and their persons; some legal costs cover is included. Third party, fire and theft insurance, as its name implies, covers the above and loss or damage through fire or theft. Comprehensive insurance offers the highest level of cover. Damage to the vehicle, regardless of whether it was the policyholder’s fault is covered, subject to the payment of an agreed excess value. Some policies offer new for old vehicle replacement, insurance against breakage of glass, replacement locks, medical expenses and the loss of personal effects. A specialised minibus insurance provider will be able to offer insurance cover that is tailored to your needs, at a competitive price.

What happens when you wish to take your extended family to Europe in your family minibus? Here is where matters become a little more complex though meeting the assorted requirements is by no means impossible. You may need a waybill or own account certificate, even if the vehicle isn’t being used for hire or reward. In your minibus, you should keep a minibus insurance certificate, a European accident form and your Vehicle Registration Document. In Europe, you will also need to display a GB sticker or have EU style numberplates. You must also carry a warning triangle and a reflective jacket must be in the cab. A tachograph may also be required on international journeys that start in the UK; this is because drivers must comply with EU drivers’ hours regulations.

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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.

‘Not rain, nor sleet, nor snow nor hail will keep this messenger from his appointed rounds.’ This motto served the Pony Express over its 19-month life on its 1,966-mile route from April 1860. To a great extent, none of these circumstances, in moderation at least, will keep a minibus from reaching its destination. However, there are conditions that can and will stop a minibus. In practical terms, it makes sense to know the difference between what is comfortably possible and what is dangerously optimistic. Applying this knowledge astutely makes even more sense. Here are some tips for fulfilling your appointed rounds.

1. Plan your minibus journey carefully. Even when a tachograph is neither legally required nor necessary, you, your minibus and your passengers have limits. How far can you, it or they travel in a given time? There’s a distinction between being hopeful and being overconfident.

2. Have your minibus serviced. Regular, expert servicing can make the difference between arriving unfazed and a trip home on a low loader. This is especially important when a long trip is planned. Don’t be tempted to skimp or make do.

3. Check your tyres. They need to be at the right pressure and in good shape. Tyres work hard and if they aren’t fit for the task, they’ll probably fail.

4. Keep the fuel level up. This is especially important when travelling late at night, overnight and/or on the Continent. Diesel fuel is readily available at reasonable hours but a minibus is a heavy vehicle to push! You could always carry a can of fuel as a backup but take care if your minibus is petrol powered.

5. Join a recovery service. Membership of the AA, RAC or Green Flag is good insurance if all else fails. Make sure that the concern involved knows you have a minibus, or they may not be able to get you home in dire circumstances.

6. Take appropriate items along on every trip. A torch, mobile phone, reflective jacket, warning triangle and your driving licence can keep you on the road. If driving in poor, winter conditions, take appropriate clothing, footwear, some chocolate and a flask full of tea or coffee.

7. Remember that in the worst conditions, your minibus can be stopped in its tracks. The vehicle’s sheer weight may provide a little more grip than a car enjoys. However, deep snow and icy roads can strand you all too easily. Diesel engines, especially those with an intercooler usually have a low-mounted air intake. Deep floodwater can be inhaled by the engine, which will immediately be wrecked.

8. Make sure you have the appropriate minibus insurance, of the kind that applies to your use of the vehicle. Having the wrong insurance may not stop you physically but can have serious repercussions, especially following an accident or even a police spot check.

9. Keep this significant point in mind. Whether providing a service for a fee or on a voluntary basis, it is you as the driver, who are responsible for your passengers. Make sure you know about any special needs they may have and keep safety as your watchword at all times.

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The Minibus Club is a specialist minibus insurance provider and has offered UK minibus insurance quotes since 1997. Visit their website for minibus driving advice and to receive a free online quote for minibus insurance.

Buying a used minibus can make a lot of sense. Buying unwisely can cause a great deal of hassle but here are some tips to help you make an ideal purchase.

Buying a used minibus is much like buying any used vehicle and the following tips apply in every instance.

1. In buying from a dealer, you pay more but you benefit from warranty protection, Dealers must also provide an HPI check; if buying privately, arrange your own check. This will reveal any previous insurance claims, outstanding hire purchase or the vehicle’s having been stolen or written off.

2. A minibus with a service history is always a better buy. Look for a dealer’s service record, or one from a reputable servicing firm at least.

3. If the vehicle has had MOT tests, examine its previous certificates and check that the mileages tally.

4. Examine the minibus’s bodywork carefully. Impact damage will be evident especially at the vehicle’s extremities. Look for ill-fitting panels, welded repairs and mismatched areas of paint.

5. Scrutinise the tyres. Strange wear patterns suggest suspension damage, while cracked sidewalls show that the tyres are ageing. Look for lumps and/or cuts in the tyre carcasses and remember that three millimetres of tread or less spells imminent replacement.

6. Look under the bonnet. Some dirt is acceptable but if the engine has rust, coolant stains and thick black oil in the sump, the service record is probably an on-paper fantasy.

7. Find the minibus’s VIN plate and check that the number tallies with that in the documentation.

8. Look carefully at the driver’s seat and controls. Shiny pedals, wear on the steering wheel, a worn driver’s seat and sloppy door furniture suggests that the mileage is astronomically high. Be rightly suspicious if the seat, carpet, pedal rubbers and speedometer appear unduly immaculate!

9. Remember to budget for insurance costs, running costs and the cost of any necessary repairs.

10. Check that older models comply with current safety and seatbelt regulations.

11. If a wheelchair lift is fitted, ensure it meets BS1609, has a safe working load of 300kg and meets Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (1998).

12. Never buy a minibus without a rigorous test drive. This should be over a distance that lets the engine and transmission warm thoroughly. Include traffic driving and a spell on a motorway, or at least on a dual carriageway. Ensure that the minibus performs as expected, with no untoward noises or emissions (check for the latter in the rear view mirror, especially when accelerating). Remember to try the brakes, clutch, gearbox and steering in a realistic manner.

Above all, be aware of this. You may be examining a minibus made by Ford, Fiat, Mercedes Benz, LDV or whoever. The secret of buying a used minibus, especially from a private seller (against whom you have very little comeback) is quite simple. Remember that you aren’t looking at the only Fiat, Ford, etc, minibus in the country – there are many others. This means that if you are in any doubt at all, you can vote with your feet by walking away.

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Here’s a question: if a minibus is just like a car, why am I reading about driving one in the UK? Good question but the answer might surprise you. Yes, a minibus is like a car in that it has four wheels and the expected controls, lights and so forth. However, there are elements of using a minibus in the UK that differ from those applying to driving a car. This is especially important, as will become clear, when passengers are being carried, although the requirements are sensible enough to be met permanently.

The first piece of advice is a simple one: carry a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. The reasons for doing his are obvious but the principle can be extended. A good torch, a warning triangle and a reflective waistcoat or jacket take up very little room and could be life-savers in certain circumstances; carry these items too.

Next on the list are practices concerning the use of a minibus’s onboard equipment. Switching on the sidelights when parking by the roadside after dark is a fairly obvious move, as is the use of the vehicle’s hazard warnings lights as and when necessary. However, there are less evident tips. For example, using the minibus’s hooter between 2300 and 0700 is frowned upon but don’t forget that doors and diesel engines are noisy too. When passengers are alighting in residential areas late at night, don’t keep the engine ticking over for minutes and take over the responsibility of opening and closing doors yourself. If in any doubt about why, imagine it is you who are nodding off to sleep behind those curtained bedroom windows!

Now for the dynamic aspect of minibus driving. Unless you’ve had access to Count Zobrowski’s original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (raced at Brooklands in 1921, with a 23-litre, 6-cylinder engine), you’ll find a minibus feels very big and heavy at first. All you need to remember is that a minibus doesn’t accelerate or stop as quickly as a car can, isn’t designed to take corners fast and takes up more road space.

Next, speed limits. These can best be understood by consulting the following list.

Urban and residential areas: 30mph
A-class (single carriageway) roads: 50mph
Dual carriageways: 60mph
Motorways: 70mph
Motorways while towing a trailer: 60mph; you cannot use the fast lane while towing

What some minibus drivers forget, particularly when passengers are carried, is the matter of responsibility. As the driver, you are responsible for the comfort and safety of your passengers, and there are some simple tips to help you with this.

Thinks of the situation in terms of ‘pre-flight checks’ before setting off -

Are your route and stops planned out?
Are the windows and windscreen clean?
Have you enough fuel on board?
Are the tyres and lights all fine?
Are all the passengers seated?
Are they wearing their seatbelts?
Are all the doors closed?

When actually on the road, you need to keep a weather eye on how you drive. This may seem self-evident but many drivers tend to think in terms of themselves only. Harsh acceleration and braking, overenthusiastic cornering and excessive speed can do more than merely make passengers uncomfortable; it might make them sick!

Driving a minibus is easy but requires a little forethought. Attend to the above and you’ll find it makes the going that much easier.

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‘All men are equal but some are more equal than others.’ There’s a touch of cynicism in this 1913 quotation but here, it begs a question: is all minibus insurance equal. In practice, while minibus insurance must conform to particular rules, there are five types of minibus insurance. What follows explains the five types and highlights how each reflects a different kind of minibus usage.

Family

More and more people are appreciating the versatility of minibuses. After all, what type of vehicle could be better for transporting small groups of passengers in comfort and safety? Such use is especially relevant to those with an extended family.
Family minibus insurance is tailored to this kind of use but it has a significant proviso. The minibus concerned can be used for social, domestic and pleasure trips but using it for hire or reward is not permitted.

Charity

The versatile nature of the minibus is what tempts charitable organisations into using them. This temptation is strong, as is witnessed by the many minibuses on our roads in the hands of various charities.
Charity minibus insurance packages are aimed at non profit-making concerns and are designed to keep running costs to the minimum. Once again, a specific stipulation exists, in the shape of the requirement for a Section 19 or Section 22 Permit. This is to prove that the minibus insured is being used for non profit-making and charitable purposes.

MPV

For this article, a minibus and an MPV can be considered as identical. This is because an increasing number of commercial concerns have passenger-carrying MPVs. Part of these vehicles’ attraction for this use is that they can be easily modified to suit the Disability Discrimination Act.
As a consequence, organisations including nursing homes and educational establishments, as well as those that need to transport employees, are using MPVs. In answer to the obvious demand, minibus insurance brokers offer bespoke policies for MPVs used in this way.

Fleet

Spot more than one minibus in the same livery and the chances are you’re seeing part of a fleet of minibuses. Insurance companies, again with an eye to cost benefits, can cater for fleet usage of minibuses.
In this field, it’s common for minibus policies to cover more than one vehicle; some policies have no upper limit in terms of vehicle numbers. Similarly, parameters such as vehicle make and model are rarely fixed. These factors mean that a fleet of minibuses can be insured en masse, saving the costs and complicated paperwork involved in insuring vehicles individually.

Taxi

Minibuses can be seen operating as taxis and in doing so, they meet a demand. In being able to carry more passengers and additional luggage, minibus taxis are a desirable addition to any carrier’s fleet. Moreover, provisions for wheelchair-bound passengers are easy to arrange.
Taxis can be either public or private hire vehicles; the former can be hailed at any point, while the latter must be pre-booked. In either case, the same kind of insurance requirements apply. The main one is insurance for ‘The carriage of persons for hire or reward’. However, it is more-or-less universal for public liability insurance to be added to the policy that covers a minibus for use as a taxi. This should include an indemnity limit of at least 5 million pounds. Minibuses used in this way must also meet local government requirements.

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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 08456 090323 or visit our website at www.minibusclub.co.uk