The minibus
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Introduction
LCV has a legal and moral obligation to do our best to carry our volunteers safely.
We operate a Ford Transit 15-seat minibus. We have made some modifications to the minibus to make it more suitable for conservation volunteering.
- Fitted waterproof seat covers. Although the seats are made of tough fabric, we need to keep mud and water out of them for as long as possible.
- Removed the back row of seats. This reduces the seating capacity to 12, which is still more than the average of 11 people that we take out each Sunday.
- Fitted two tool cages in place of the back seats. These provide safe storage space for the tools that we take on task. The cages are designed so that they do not obstruct the rear emergency exit.
Driver's information
The laws that surround the use and management of a minibus are complicated. We have talked to our local community transport associations, and have put together the following information based on their advice.
Small print: this information is distilled from our recent MiDAS course, and various books by the Community Transport Association. If you run a minibus, you should consult them for advice. You use the information contained here at your own risk!
Practical information for drivers
Our minibus should have in it everything you need when you are driving it.
The first place to look for advice is the Driver's Pack, which contains the following:
- Minibus fact sheet
- Insurance certificate
- Fault reporting form
- Recovery and rescue information
- Road atlas
- MiDAS booklet
Elsewhere in the minibus you will find:
- fire extinguisher (next to handbrake)
- first aid kit (under the first row of passenger seats)
- jack and wheel brace (under driver's seat)
- reflective vests
- tyre pressure gauge (in glove box)
Don't forget...
- the heated front windscreen if the van is full of wet volunteers.
- that the mirrors will de-mist themselves if you turn on the rear-screen demister.
- the small windows at the very back that allow a through-flow of ventilation.
Legal information for drivers
A more detailed list of the legal requirements that affect you as a driver can be found on pages 39 - 56 of the MiDAS Minibus Driver's Handbook.
- Bus lanes. You can drive our minibus in a bus lane unless the word local appears in the bus symbol.
- Doors and windows. All doors must be unlocked when there are passengers inside the vehicle. You must be able to see clearly through all windows, so don't let them get steamed up.
- Exits. There must be a clear gangway for each passenger to two exits.
- Seatbelts. Seatbelts must be worn by all passengers in every seat in our minibus.
- Speed limits. In some cases these are different to the speed limit for a car. Where there are no signs
setting a lower limit, the speed limits for minibuses are:
- 30 mph in built-up areas
- 50 mph on roads subject to the National Speed Limit
- 60 mph on dual carriageways
- 70 mph on motorways
The van has a speed limiter fitted.
- Vehicle condition. As a driver you are at all times responsible for the condition of the vehicle that you are driving. The driver must check, and be satisfied with, the state of the headlights, tyres, steering, brakes, fire extinguisher and first aid kit before using the minibus. This responsibility cannot be passed on to LCV.
Policies and procedures
Our minibus policies and procedures represent our understanding of best practice for running our vehicle.
Minibus policies
It is LCV policy that...
- Everyone travelling in our minibus must wear a seatbelt.
- All tools must be carried inside the tool cages.
- All exits must be kept clear.
- The driver chooses whether, and what, to play on the radio.
- The driver must not work so hard on task that it is likely to affect their ability to drive safely afterwards.
- The driver should record each use of the minibus on a log sheet.
- The driver should carry out an inspection of the minibus before taking volunteers in it, and the inspection should be recorded on a log sheet.
- Children under 14 do not travel in the minibus.
- The breakdown service be used to change a flat tyre on the minibus.
Minibus procedures
- Vehicle checks. The driver will check the minibus before each use and record the results of the check on a log sheet from the Driver's Pack.
- Defect reporting. The driver will report any defects with the minibus to the LCV Minibus Manager using the fault reporting form from the Driver's Pack. The LCV Van Manager will arrange for the fault to be fixed and will record this on the fault reporting form.
- Servicing. The LCV Van Manager will arrange for the minibus to be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, and will record details of the servicing.
- Driver training. All drivers will have a familiarisation session before taking volunteers in the minibus for the first time. The LCV Van Manager will keep a record of this session.
- Driver registration. The LCV Van Manager will keep a record of the licence details of all drivers. Drivers will tell the LCV Van Manager if any details of their licence change.
(c) Lothians Conservation Volunteers 2011
Lothians Conservation Volunteers is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC020384
