- It is designed to carry 9 or more passengers and does so for payment. You will also need a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving entitlement, and the vehicle must have a certificate of initial fitness, along with a special MOT test specific for PSVs; or
- It is designed to carry fewer than 9 passengers but you charge each individual passenger a fare, rather than charging a lump sum like a taxi would do
There are 4 types of licence available, depending on whether you meet certain criteria:
1. Standard licence – for national and international operations. For this licence you will need to pass the requirements of “professional competence”.
2. Standard national licence – for national operations only. You will get this licence if you only pass the requirements for national “professional competence”.
3. Restricted licence – for one or two vehicles only. Both vehicles must either carry less than 8 passengers, or up to 16 passengers if it is only incidental to the main business (e.g. a hotel or a local community business).
4. Special licence – for holders of taxi licences only.
You will also need to meet certain further requirements for a Standard or Restricted licence. You will need to be of good repute which means you must not have any relevant convictions in the past 5 years. You must have enough money and proper facilities to run a commercial transport business properly, and you must ensure that all of your staff obey the rules of the road.
Applying
In order to apply for a licence you will need to complete form PSV421 which can be found on the VOSA website at www.vosa.gov.uk. If you already have a licence which has an expiry date after 1 January 1996, then you don’t need to worry because your licence has automatically become a licence for life, and you merely need to pay the required fees.
You will receive a vehicle disc, which is valid for 5 years (or one year depending on payment method) and must be renewed accordingly. This disk must be displayed on any vehicle you are using as a bus/minibus/taxi.
Your local council has a right to object to the application. If this happens, the Traffic Commissioner will probably call you to a Public Inquiry before making the decision.
If your application is refused or is granted with unacceptable conditions, you have the right to apply to the Transport Tribunal for an appeal.
Don’t forget that before starting a bus service, you need to apply to the Traffic Commissioner (or to Transport for London if within Greater London) in addition to the PSV licence and advertise the bus service you wish to run.
If you are having difficulties in applying for a PSV licence, don’t hesitate to contact Traffic Lawyers on 01603 281125.
