PCV licence

silkyuk9

ive seen a job for a mini bus driver but requires pcv is this part of a normal driving licence or do i require to go on a course to get this part. if so how much does the course cost?

thanks

lucylucky

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=PCV+licence

pompeyrich

It depends on when you passed your test, how many seats the bus has and whether it is being used for "hire or reward". If it is carrying fare paying passengers, you would need a PCV entitlement on your licence, however some school, charity or community busses can be driven without the extra entitlement. Some more info HERE

Rossy.

Need to go on a PCV course, and pass a HGV/PCV theory test.

Training can be done either at a local training centre or be wise and apply to join a bus company. They'll pay for your training etc but you'll have to stay for a year min but the pay is better.

I got mine at 18 (11 years ago) when they dropped the legal age due to driver shortages in London. I passed first time but don't be fooled into thinking it's an easy test. Some say it's one of the hardest test to do as unlike HGV's carrying cargo, a PCV vehicle can carry over 100 "live" people thus it means it's very stringent.

The license categories required are

D & D1

C_Mababejive

Does anyone know of companies which offer "guaranteed" pass PCV courses i.e they resubmit you for test until you pass or is that just a car driver thing?

I guess the hardest part they assess you on is manoeuvring a vehicle that is the size of an artic but which doesnt usually bend in the middle!

Rossy.

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Does anyone know of companies which offer "guaranteed" pass PCV courses i.e they resubmit you for test until you pass or is that just a car driver thing?

I guess the hardest part they assess you on is manoeuvring a vehicle that is the size of an artic but which doesnt usually bend in the middle!

No guaranteed pass if im correct.

It's all down to your ability. In the bus industry you'll go out daily with an instructor for up to 8 hours a day. Once a week you'll be assessed by a DSA examiner. If your not up to scratch you'll get a warning and more lessons to improve. If you get to the test stage they'll usually put you through 2 tests MAX. If you don't pass your let go and free to try another company.

Reversing a double decker is pretty simple, use the mirrors, take your time and it's pretty much straight forward. Bendy busses however are a little more exciting. In one way they are harder to reverse than an artic as it bends right in the middle leaving you very little manouvering space at the front.

I've driven all sorts of buses from Route masters up to bendy buses. All good fun though

Gene_Hunt_2

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Does anyone know of companies which offer "guaranteed" pass PCV courses i.e they resubmit you for test until you pass or is that just a car driver thing?

How can they guarantee that?

Keep putting you in for a test at no extra cost til you die or pass.

Some people aren't cut out to drive a car yet alone anything bigger.

Hammyman

silkyuk9 wrote: »

ive seen a job for a mini bus driver but requires pcv is this part of a normal driving licence or do i require to go on a course to get this part. if so how much does the course cost?

thanks

If you got your full car licence pre-1997 you can drive a minibus up to 16 seats.

Otherwise you need a PCV licence. You'll need a medical around £100 plus application for D1 or D which is another £20 odd and then the lessons and test which will be around £1000 - £1500. You'll also need to take a theory test as well as practical.

mrbadexample

Hammyman wrote: »

If you got your full car licence pre-1997 you can drive a minibus up to 16 seats.

1. Although this is most often the case, it does not always apply. The entitlement could have been removed for a number of reasons. It doesn't matter when you passed your test, it is only the entitlement you hold which is relevant.

2. If you do hold class D1 entitlement by virtue of the date you passed your test, it will almost certainly come with restriction 107, meaning not for hire & reward. This essentially rules out getting a job driving a minibus, until you pass another test and have the restriction lifted.

forgotmyname

£115 for the test itself, or £141 for a weekend one. You dont want to fail that too often.
£35 theory.

Emergency braking test to be done on the road from next year, I did mine at the test centre where they
have a runoff area with a big ramp at the end just in case.
Dread to think what damage someone would do in on the road if they locked the brakes and lost control
on the road test.

Hammyman

forgotmyname wrote: »

Dread to think what damage someone would do in on the road if they locked the brakes and lost control
on the road test.

ABS...wonderful thing which stops the wheels from locking up. Fitted mandatorily to PCV and HGV (both unit and trailer) for quite some years now. I've not driven a lorry without ABS since 1995.