£26,000 was raised through grant funding and donations in 2021, to purchase the minibus and for associated costs.  It is a lightweight bus, that can be driven on a Cat B licence (normal car licence), so it is available to most drivers – including those that do not have a minibus or heavy good licence.

We manage the day to day running of the bus: safety checks, service and MOT, bookings etc and ensuring all hires are in accordance to the minibus aims and objectives.

Who can hire the minibus

The bus can be hired by not-for-profit organisations to support their aims and objectives.  This could be a school hiring for a sporting event, a youth club trip to a bowling alley, an art group visiting a gallery or a care home going on an outing.  

What you need to hire the minibus

• A Section 19 permit, which is available from your local council or the Community Transport Association (see below for more details)
  
• A driver who is 25 or over and has held a licence for 5 years.  They need to have recent experience of driving a large vehicle (this could be having driven a long-wheel based transit for work, having driven an ambulance or known minibus driving experience).  Please note they MUST HAVE A CLEAN LICENCE with no accidents, claims or faults in the past five years.  They also must have never had a driving ban.
• To have read and agreed to our hire policy – we will ask you to do this as part of our Driver and Organisation registration.

How you hire the minibus

1. First you need to register your organisation using the online form: CLICK HERE

2. Ask your driver/s to register with us (or they can do this at a later point).  To register as a driver, CLICK HERE
   
3. Email us to check if your date is available.  We will need the following details:
   • • Organisation Name
     • Destination
     • Reason for Trip
     • Dates Required

We will then respond with confirmation of availability, cost and details of when payment is due.

During your registration you will be asked to confirm you have read our hire policy.  This can be accessed here: CLICK HERE

Payment

If your hire is under £100 or if your booking is in the next 28 days, you will need to pay in full to secure the booking.  Your booking will be “held” for 7 days for you to have time to make payment.  If you are hiring on behalf of a school or if your organisation takes longer to pay invoices, please speak with us to agree an alternative.  Invoices will be sent to the email address you provide and you need to ensure this is forwarded to whoever is able to make payment ASAP.

If your hire is £100 or over (and is more than 28 days away) you will need to pay at least half the amount within 7 days (with the same exceptions as above) and the second half within 28 days of the booking.  Both invoices will be sent at the same time, with different ‘Due by’ dates.

 Section 19 Permit

If you are part of a larger organisation your HQ may be able to provide you with a permit.  If this is not applicable, you will need to apply for a permit from a recognised body.  They cost £11 and last 5 years and can take a few weeks to arrive so we reccomend applying at least a month in advance.
The quickest way is through Community Transport Association: https://ctauk.org/join-now/  if your organisation turns over less than 25k it is FREE to join them (and £11 per permit).  If you turn over more, there may be an additional charge so you may choose to apply through your local council.

Costs

• Our hire costs are shown below for journeys up to 100 miles in total length.  If your journey is further than 100 miles in total, there is an additional charge.
• How our costs compare: Our charges for our local area are 71% cheaper than a commerical hire and “all other areas” are 57% cheaper.
• If you are interested in being a regular hirer (eg once a week) we may be able to offer discounted rates so please get in touch to discuss.