PCV Category D1 (Minibus Licence)

The minbus PCV Category D1 test is for those people who would like to get their category D1 minibus licence, to be able to drive minibuses with up to 17 seats (including drivers seat) and derive an income from driving minbuses for hire and reward.

D1 Licence Exceptions

Drivers who passed their Category B (car licence) before 1st January 1997, will benefit from acquired rights (also referred to as grandfathering rights). This means that these group of drivers already have the D1 entitlement on their driving licence, however, there is a restriction code 101 attached to this entitlement which does not permit you to drive a minbus for hire and reward. Therefore, if you have the "101" restriction on your licence, then you can drive a minibus with up to 17 seats for private use, providing you are not doing it for hire and reward purposes (that is for profit). If you would like to drive a minibus for hire and reward (ie to earn money for it), then you must sit and pass the D1 minibus test.

People who took their driving test after January 1997 will not have been granted the D1 licence, and will therefore have to take a separate D1 test to get the D1 minibus licence.

Mininbus Category D1 Requirements

In order to attend any of our Category D1 courses, you must be at least 17 years of age and have a Category B licence (car licence).

Assuming you already have a Category B driving licence, your first step is attend and pass a PCV medical test (unless you have already completed a medical for an LGV licence). You should be available to arrange for your local GP to conduct this medical, and they will confirm what fee is applicable. You will need to take a D4 Medical Form (download here) with you to your medical, and the doctor will complete the form accordingly.

Once you have passed your LGV Medical Examination, you must then make an application to the DVLA for your Category D1 provisional licence. In order to make this application, you will need to complete a D2 Application Form, which can be obtained from your local post office, or can be ordered online from the DVLA here.

At this stage of applying for your Category D1 licence it is also worth applying for Category C (Lorry), Category C1 and Category D (PCV - Bus/Coach), as currently there is no fee for applying for these provisional entitlements, and should you decide to progress onto any of these tests in the future, it will save you from having to re-apply for the provisional entitlement, and avoid incurring any possible future fees.

The final step you must complete before attending our a D1 training course is to sit and pass your >PCV theory test, which can be booked online at the DVSA's website, or by calling the DVSA booking line on 0300 200 1122.

When booking your theory test you will need to book and pass both the PCV Multiple Choice (Module 1a) and PCV Hazard Perception (Module 1b) theory tests. It is also recommended that you book your LGV CPC Case Study (Module 2) at this stage, however it is not essential or required for you to pass this theory test before taking your practical training or LGV practical test.

D1 Minibus Licence Training In London

We offer a range of Category D1 minibus training courses to accomodate drivers with different levels of experience. All of our D1 minibus courses are provided on a 1-2-1 basis, ensuring that you receive 100% of the instructors attention without the pressure of any other observers. It is this 1-2-1 D1 minibus training by our qualified DVSA approved trainiers which leads to our superb first time pass rate. Our training days consist of 4 hours training each day, with all 4 hours being spent by you at the wheel, and not spent with unecessary "coffee breaks" or "lunch breaks" which many other schools use as a tactic to reduce your training time.

Our training days usually consist of 4 hours training per day, with all 4 hours being spent by you at the wheel, and not spent with unecessary "coffee breaks" or "lunch breaks" which many other schools use as a tactic to reduce your training time.

Many other schools will offer you an 8 hour training day, which may sound like good value on the face of it, but the 8 hour day is not on a 1-2-1 basis, and the driving time is shared with another pupil, meaning you spend half the time squeezed in a drivers cab waiting for your turn to drive and effectively wasting half your day. The other problem with the 8 hour days provided by other trailer training schools in East London is that many of theses training schools will introduce lunch breaks into this 8 hour day meaning that you are not receiving your full time driving/practicing that you are paying for. The final problem with an 8 hour day is tiredness. Driving for such a long time results in a lack of concentration and therefore has to have an adverse affect on your learning. The combination of these problems is quite obvious as to why such schools do not have the same extensive pass rate as we pride ourselves on. However, if you are insistent on having an 8 hour day, we can of course accommodate this, even though we do not recommend it.

D1 Minibus Courses in London

Our D1 minibus licence training ranges from a 24 hour course aimed at people who have never driven minibuses or vans, all the way down to a 12 hour course which is aimed at drivers who are experienced at driving vans or LGV's, or have previous experience driving minibuses .

Your course will typically be split up into 4 hours training per day, with your test being taken on the final day of your course, where you will receive 2 hours pre-test warm up training, followed by your D1 practical driving test for which 2 of your training hours will be allocated for.

Your training will consist of verbal and practical training for the following:

• improving your general driving skills to make sure they are up to the DVSA " driving test standard"
• showing you popular test routes you are likely to encounter as part of your driving test
• teaching you about the reversing manoeuvre which you will be required to do as part of your practical test
• teaching you the "show me / tell me" questions which will be asked at the beginning of your test

Our most successful courses are those within the 16 - 20 hour bracket, as these course's generally provide us enough time to adequately cover all the training points mentioned above. Obviously the shorter the course, the less in depth we can cover the training points above. However, if you are nervous and feel you need more training, then we would recommend a 24 hour course.

Please remeber when deciding which D1 minibus training course would suit you best, that if you try to select a shorter training course to try to save yourself money, you may not pass your D1 minibus test first time, and may end up spending more money on re-tests than if you selected the most appropriate course for your skill level in the first place. If you are unsure about which D1 course would suit you best, then please contact our office where we will be more than happy to listen to the experience you have and help you make an appropriate choice.

As well as offering the very best PCV training in London, we are probably the cheapest PCV training school in London as well, offering the very best instruction, matched with unrivalled pass rates at unbeatable prices.

The D1 Minibus Test

The PCV minbus test will be taken in the same vehicle in which you do your training in. The D1 minibus test starts off with the examiner asking you some vehicle safety questions, and is usually immediately followed by the reversing excercise. You then proceed to spend the next 50 minutes - 1 hour driving on the public road, going over through the test routes you would have practiced during your training. During this time on the road the PCV examiner will assess your ability to interact with other road users along.

Once you have successfully passed your PCV Category D1 practical test, you will then obtain a Category D1 (minibus licence) on your driving licence which will entitle you to drive any minibus up to 17 seats (including drivers seat) for private or hire and reward purposes.

D1 Price List

All courses INCLUDE training and practical test fees. (An additional £30 will be charged for any practical test booked on a weekend or as classed as out of hours by the DVSA)

How do I book my D1 Driving Lessons?

Since all of our D1 sessions are bespoke to each individual, the only way you can book a session is to call our offices on 020 8597 7333 or 0800 848 8418 where our office staff will discuss your personal requirements and discuss availability to help you find a suitable time and date to suit you.

Booking a Course if you have an EU Licence

If you have an EU licence, you must obtain a D91 Form from the DVLA.

To get the D91 Form, you will need to complete a D9 Application Form. Once you complete the D9 Application, the DVLA will then send you a D91 Form in the post, and allocate you UK driving licence number.

Once you have the D91 Form and a UK driving licence number, you can then book onto a course with us as well as being able to book any other driving courses/tests/assessments in the UK.

Please note, you will need to bring the D91 Form form with you to your course, so please make sure you do pyhsically have this in your possession before making your booking.