The Greater than 8 campaign was launched last year and it aims for clarity on category D1 driver licencing. Commercial motives have been alleged. Is that true? No, says campaign leader Chris Maynard
Mixed messages abound at the moment concerning restricted category D1 licences and what can be driven on them. Most people, regardless of how they are involved in the minibus industry, will agree that clarity would be useful.
The Greater than 8 campaign is set to petition Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling for a to be line drawn in the sand. What Greater than 8 advocates is simple: Drivers of all minibuses with more than eight passenger seats require full D1 entitlement.
Greater than 8 is the brainchild of Castle Minibus MD Chris Maynard. Castle Minibus’ training arm specialises in D1 tuition, which has led to allegations that the campaign’s motive is commercial.
That’s not the case, Chris says. If Greater than 8 succeeds, Castle Minibus will likely benefit. But he adds that the principal reason for the petition is safety, and he uses a vehicle-related example to demonstrate how Castle Minibus views that subject.
“We have been offered a lightweight minibus that can be driven on a category B licence. We could supply thousands of them. But I wasn’t convinced about side impact protection, so I never took it any further.”
Lack of understanding
School minibuses are Greater than 8’s main focus, but if it is successful – even partially – it will have a significant impact on community transport operators (CTOs).
“The motivation for Greater than 8 came from the discovery that some schools had minibuses that were being driven illegally by restricted D1 licence holders. I told them that it was unlawful, but they weren’t interested.”
Chris argues that people who have never driven anything bigger than a car will find even a moderately-sized minibus a big step up. Add to that 16 passengers and no mandatory medical or eyesight tests, coupled to a general lack of understanding of licencing requirements, and he sees potential for serious problems.
CTOs will not enjoy hearing about Greater than 8. It comes at a bad time for the sector, but Chris is adamant that the campaign was not deliberately launched at the same time that the government announced enforcement of EC regulation 1071/2009.
“It is a difficult situation, because there are thousands of people at CTOs doing wonderful work.
“But there can only be one way of doing things: One that applies across the board regardless of voluntary status or permit use. There cannot be a mixed message, or mixed standards.”
Chance of success?
If Greater than 8 is successful, Chris hopes that the Department for Transport (DfT) will allow a grace period for affected groups to comply.
Coupled with a likely tightening up of permit use, that would create a financial problem for many CTOs. It has been suggested that obtaining full D1 entitlement could cost up to £1,800 per driver.
“I realise that CTOs could be affected. They may need to look at smaller vehicles, but if a driver is carrying 16 passengers and they haven’t been tested or had their medical status checked, we should be saying no.”
A middle ground could be enhancement of the existing regime, he continues. If a compromise involves MiDAS training, Chris advocates it becoming stricter, with a pass or fail element, and mandatory time behind the wheel. Looking at who undertakes MiDAS training would also be worthwhile, he adds.
“In a school situation, you can have someone who is usually a janitor, but when required, they become the MiDAS trainer. There could also be an element of over-familiarity. If MiDAS is to continue, it should be made more robust, and include an element of examination.”
Accreditation of MiDAS as part of Driver CPC is something else that could be explored should Driver CPC be required in the voluntary sector. It has been suggested that the latter may become the case following the current consultation.
Not good enough?
The argument behind Greater than 8 is that the current minibus driver training regime in the voluntary and lightweight segments is not good enough.
Some will disagree with that; Community Transport Association Chief Executive Bill Freeman has repeatedly stated that his sector observes the same standards as those in the commercial marketplace.
The financial impact of requiring unrestricted D1 licences for more than eight passenger seats, meanwhile, will be enormous.
Whether the government would provide any of the necessary funding for training is not known, but recent messages about community transport – including from Prime Minister Theresa May – have been encouraging.
Based on that, Chris acknowledges that it would be a surprise if Greater than 8 achieves its aim in its entirely. But he is hopeful that some benefit will come from the campaign.
“It’s about getting people to talk about the issue – and certainly, there is an issue. We can ask for various things, but hopefully all concerned will reach a common ground where we agree that safety will be improved.
“And that’s the key: Safety.”
