More minibus drivers please

One way of reducing the number of cars would be to encourage more minibus use. One minibus can carry the same number of people as three or four cars. However, minibus drivers are an endangered species. Until 1997 anyone who passed a driving test automatically got the D1 category to drive minibuses. Since then, the number of minibus drivers has dwindled, partly because the cost of driver training is often prohibitive. In my area, a 2-year permit to drive vehicles under 3.5 tons costs £60, whilst D1 to drive minibuses of any size costs over £1,000. Few voluntary groups have minibuses of their own, so it is almost impossible for new volunteer drivers to practise and prepare for assessment.

Chris Johnson

(Voluntary outdoor leader and minibus driver for 23 years)