Minibus World are Manufacturers of Lightweight Minibuses and below we help you to make sense of the Facts, Fiction, Type Approval & Scaremongering.
Manufacturing Lightweight Minibuses
We find that Lightweight Minibuses are a popular solution to education, charity and other organisations who operate Minibuses. Below we’ll help you make sense of:
Fact
Fiction
Type Approval
Scaremongering
What is a Lightweight Minibus?
Have you heard of a Lightweight Minibus or Minibus Lite?
Has what you’ve heard led to questions:
- “is it legal?”
- “Are they safe?”
- “Are they the right vehicle for us?”
Minibus World are manufacturers of a range of minibuses that can be driven on a full car licence. Driveable on a car licence Minibuses fall under the general category of a Lightweight Minibus.
We come across some quite vociferous and seemingly convincing scaremongering about Lightweight Minibuses and wanted set the record straight on some of the more fictitious claims.
We’re aware that some opinions have been expressed, which could be interpreted as “scaremongering” about Lightweight Minibuses.
Let’s set the record straight about these fictitious claims!
“Lightweight Minibuses are Not Safe”- Fiction
Our Lightweight Minibuses also known as the “CanDrive” range of minibuses are IVA tested by DVSA (formerly VOSA) where applicable, provided with an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) Certificate and designed and / or adapted to enable you to drive it on a car licence.*
Our seat belt anchorage system has been pull tested in-vehicle with the equivalent of 1.5 tonnes of weight per seat and its effectiveness witnessed and signed off by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). This is the Executive Agency of the UK Department for Transport that approves all road-going vehicles for use in the UK, including your own car and the Ford Transit factory-built minibus.
Items including the dimensions and signage are IVA compliant and conversions on new vehicles can, where applicable, be first registered as a minibus after inspection by DVSA.
Our minibuses are manufactured to a variety of Type Approval regulations. Including but not limited to GBSSTA (GB Small Series Type Approval), Certificate of Initial Fitness (COIF) and IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval).
You could reasonably argue that our Individually Approved buses are safer than GBSSTA (formerly NSSTA) or European Series Approved vehicles where only the prototype is tested by VCA and the rest of the minibuses built in the same series are not individually inspected.
Are Lightweight Minibuses safe? – The certification our Lightweight Minibus range receive would say, yes!
“Lightweight Minibuses Circumvent the Law”- Fiction
The D1 entitlement (the driving licence category for a minibus over 9 seats or 3500kgs in Gross Vehicle Weight) was automatically issued to anyone passing their driving test up to January 1st 1997.
After that date the D1 minibus entitlement was no longer automatic.
However, within 2 years of losing this entitlement UK Parliament proposed and implemented legislation to allow certain volunteer drivers of minibuses who hold a category B car licence to drive out of category.
Driving a Lightweight Minibus out of category does not circumvent the law, neither is it a loophole as some commentary would suggest. It simply follows the letter and spirit of the law that Parliament implemented for this very reason! See the 1999 Driving Licence (Exemption) Regulations here and the DFT advice on licensing of incidental drivers here.
“Lightweight Minibuses have been adapted to Save Weight”- Fiction
Some lightweight Minibus products are indeed light, weighing around 2300kgs with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3.5 tonnes, but the majority of “lightweight” products have had some form of adaption and therefore have a GVW of up to 4.25 tonnes.
You could in fact drive one of our Peugeot Boxer or Vauxhall Movano CanDrive Minibuses weighing 2900kgs (and a GVW of 4250kgs) on a car licence if the relevant conditions are met.
The term Lightweight Minibus or Minibus Lite in reality is simply a clever bit of marketing.
Minibus Worlds aim is to understand your needs, enabling us to give you the best advice on which product is most suitable. We build as the name suggests a Lightweight product but this is mainly relevant for primary schools. The rest are not particularly light but you CanDrive them on a car licence. Not clever, just practical.
“MIDAS Training is Required”- Fiction (but it is recommended)
Whilst MIDAS is not a legal requirement and is purely voluntary Minibus World recommends it. Trained drivers tend to be safer drivers. The estimated cost to obtain a D1 licence is £1,000 per person. MIDAS and the benefits of taking MIDAS training can cost as little as £100 per person and can be achieved in one day on your site.
“Ford Transit Minibuses are cheaper” – Fiction
We love our Ford Transit Minibuses, but we they’re not always cheaper! They’re heavier in weight and on fuel consumption. Most importantly not all of your staff will be able to drive a Ford Transit as they are over the weight limit and out of category for most people.
In this case D1 training would be required which is expensive when taking in to account training for three or four staff members for the annual test. This includes the test fees, taking staff out of work for training and undertaking training for new staff as D1 trained staff leave.
The truth is a Lightweight Minibus can be cheaper to run, ready to drive immediately without D1 training and gives you more flexibility by enabling most staff to be able to drive it.
Buying a Lightweight Minibus
When looking for a Lightweight Minibus here’s some facts about Minibus World:
Fact – Minibus experts
Fact – Understand our customers’ needs
Fact – Superb quality, custom-built minibuses to enhance your own brand identity
Fact – Proactive after sales service
Fact – Excellent lead times
Fact – Give best advice
Fact – Price promise. We won’t be beaten on a like-for-like quote
If you have any queries or concerns regarding vehicle safety, Type Approval or IVA/GBSSTA (GB Small Series Type Approval) or indeed any aspect of owning, running, financing or leasing a minibus please do not hesitate to get in touch.
