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DVLA Guide Driving Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCV)

There are special licensing arrangements allowing you to drive minibuses and buses without having to hold the higher passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) driving licence entitlement.

Drivers of minibuses having 9-16 passenger seats will normally need to hold a PCV licence category D1 or a category D licence to drive larger buses.

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Driving Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCV)

Exempted Passenger Carrying Vehicles

If you hold a full category B (car) driving licence you can drive any of the vehicles listed below:

  1. a passenger carrying vehicle manufactured more than 30 years before the date when it is driven and not used for hire or reward or for the carriage of more than 8 passengers
  2. a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats provided the following conditions are met:
    1. the vehicle is used for social purposes by a non-commercial body but not for hire or reward
    2. the driver is aged 21 iii. the driver has held a car (category B) licence for at least 2 years
    3. the driver is providing the service on a voluntary basis
    4. the minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes including any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers
    5. if the driver is aged 70 or over, is able to meet the health standards for driving a D1 vehicle

When driving a minibus under these conditions you can’t receive any payment or consideration for doing so other than out of pocket expenses or tow any size trailer; you may only drive minibuses in this country. Drivers aged 70 or over will need to make a special application, which involves meeting higher medical standards.

If you hold a full category D (PCV) driving licence can also drive a passenger carrying recovery vehicle. This is defined as a vehicle (not being an articulated goods vehicle combination) which has an unladen weight not exceeding 10.2 tonnes is being operated by the holder of a public service vehicle (PSV) operator’s licence and, is being used for the purpose of:

  1. proceeding to or returning from, a place where assistance is to be, or has been, given to a damaged or disabled passenger-carrying vehicle
  2. giving assistance to or moving a disabled passenger-carrying vehicle or moving a damaged vehicle

Minimum Age

Drivers of exempted passenger carrying vehicles and any vehicle, which weighs more than 7.5 tonnes can be driven from the age of 21 years.