• I remember reading in CM last winter,
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when the Transport Bill was before Parliament, that mini-buses of 12 seats and under were to be exempted from certain p.s.v. regulations. As I run a minibus and have heard nothing from the Licensing Authorities, would you be kind enough to inform me of these new regulations?
AThe exemption for mini-buses of not more than 12 seats provided under the Transport Act is that of requiring a road
service licence, and has been made primarily to assist in the provision of stage carriage services in sparsely populated areas which would otherwise be without any public service.
Section 30 of the above Act is the relevant Section, and a mini-bus operator may apply to the Traffic Commissioners of the area concerned for a special permit in place of a road service licence. A permit will only be granted if the Commissioners are satisfied that there "are no other transport facilities available to meet the reasonable needs of the proposed route".
The provision of a permit is also tied-in with the operation of services for the local education authority, under Section 30 (1) (b), and allows for the grant of a permit in lieu of a road service licence subject to the agreement of the education authority concerned and the availability of seats for passengers other than school children.
Any mini-bus operated under such a permit must possess a p.s.v. Certificate of Fitness, and the driver must have a p.s.v. licence.