Is my license valid

Jpd

Hi, first time post so any help gratefully accepted :-)
My fianc! and I will by next Easter have 6 children due to our combined families and a pair in incubation lol.
We both have full driving licenses cat B and B1, passed in 2003/4. After trying to contact dvla about it and giving up, we cannot seem agree on if we can buy a minibus and drive it without adding the D category.
All sites seem to offer conflicting information, garages only tell you what they think you want to hear, and I do not wish to purchase a minibus ( 9 seats) only to find we cannot drive it. Short on ringing up our insurance company, if they know just how can we find out
I think we can drive up to 3500kg, OH says no !
Many thanks in advance
Jojoj

unforeseen

If 9 seats includes the driver then you can drive it on a B subject to the weight restriction

Jpd

That is good news thank you

AdrianC

Very straightforward...


https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

Category B - if you passed your test on or after 1 January 1997
You can drive vehicles up to 3,500kg MAM with up to 8 passenger seats

Jpd

Thanks Adrian, that is great news, OH read to much into it I think:T

agrinnall

Jpd wrote: »

Thanks Adrian, that is great news, OH read to much into it I think:T

Is it great news? That extract says up to 8 passenger seats, so you wouldn't be able to drive the minibus with 9 passenger seats that you first mentioned.

Andy_L

There is the not for hire or reward exemption
https://www.gov.uk/driving-a-minibus

"You might be able to drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats using your current car driving licence as long as there’s no payment from or on behalf of the passengers (it’s not for ‘hire or reward’).

Conditions you must meet
You can drive a minibus within the UK as long as the following conditions apply:

you’re 21 or older
you’ve had your driving licence for at least 2 years
you meet the ‘Group 2’ medical standards if you’re over 70 - check with your GP if you’re not sure you meet the standards
you’re driving on a voluntary basis and the minibus is used for social purposes by a non-commercial body
the maximum weight of the minibus is not more than 3.5 tonnes - or 4.25 tonnes including specialist equipment for disabled passengers, for example a wheelchair ramp
you’re not towing a trailer"

Although going overseas may be tricky

Hermione_Granger

agrinnall wrote: »

Is it great news? That extract says up to 8 passenger seats, so you wouldn't be able to drive the minibus with 9 passenger seats that you first mentioned.

The only time that the OP could have mentioned 9 passenger seats was in the 2 minutes between writing their post at 9.19pm and then editing it at 9.21pm because after the edit, the post clearly states 9 seats and not 9 passenger seats.

AdrianC

agrinnall wrote: »

Is it great news? That extract says up to 8 passenger seats, so you wouldn't be able to drive the minibus with 9 passenger seats that you first mentioned.

A "9 seater" is 8 + driver. Nobody makes 9 + driver, because it's a European-wide driving licence category breakpoint.


Driver plus two-passenger front bench.
Three in the middle.
Three rear.

Jpd

Thanks for that info,
To clarify exactly what I need is a 9 seat
Mini bus which can carry 8 passengers 6 children and 2 adults.
A 9 seater is cheaper to purchase than an 8 so that s why we are thinking of going that way - sorry if I have misled you

unforeseen

Only one person appears to be misled. Everybody else understood.