Minibus Driver Training With Assessment Scheme

Background

The Scheme was introduced several years ago by Staffordshire County Council, in response to public concern arising from media coverage of some serious and fatal crashes involving minibuses. Staffordshire has been fortunate in having had few such incidents. Even so, we aim to maintain this good record as well as boosting confidence amongst passengers, parents, teachers, group leaders and the drivers themselves that the minibus fleet is being driven as safely as possible.

The problem we have is bridging the vast gap between the professional coach driver and the volunteer driver who has not had the advantage of proper driving instruction in a passenger-carrying vehicle. The Minibus Driver Assessment Scheme aims to direct your professionalism and enthusiasm to minimise the inherent risks. We want to work with you to improve your driving skills and identify the responsibilities in what we recognise as valuable work within your community.

Who the scheme is for

The scheme is primarily aimed at those drivers who wish to carry passengers on the business on behalf of the Authority, i.e. Teachers, Youth Leaders and so on. However, the scheme is open to any organisation that might like to have their minibus drivers assessed as a matter of good practice.

For those people who work for the Local Authority, it is a condition of the County Council’s Insurers that anyone wishing to drive a minibus with passengers must be assessed via this scheme. Upon satisfactory completion of the practical assessment, a permit is issued, usually for five years.

Before applying to join this scheme, you should read the following sections: