a lf I buy a minibus with the intention of running
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it to take our village children to school, and perhaps for occasional shopping trips for older residents, will I have any difficulty in obtaining a road service licence?
The bus service provided by our local bus company is quite inadequate and in any case, runs to a timetable while I could vary the times of my bus to suit the majority who wish to use it.
AIf the minibus you intend to use for this purpose has no more than 12 seats, the Traffic Commissioners might be prepared to issue a permit for you to operate your proposed service in place of a road service licence.
Section 30 of the Transport Act 1968 gives the Traffic Commissioners power to grant such a permit "for the use of any applicant on a route in that area, of any vehicle as a stage carriage for providing a road service which is to be provided by him by means of vehicles, none of which is adapted to carry more than 12 passengers", The same facility is available for school bus services provided under Section 55 (1) of the Education Act 1944, but in that case no restriction is placed on the number of seats.
The issue of a permit eliminates the normal procedure in which an operator already providing a service in the area may object to your proposal. The Traffic Commissioners will, however, have to satisfy themselves that your service will not be greatly detrimental to the service already provided before they will issue such a permit.