Q lam a psv operator in the Irish Republic,
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and wish to train my conductors to drive. All my vehicles are fitted with preselector gearboxes, but the authorities insist that my recruits should be able to drive all types of bus, from crash gearbox types to fully automatic vehicles. What is the position in the UK?
AThe system employed in the UK provides
for trainees to be capable of driving any bus in a particular fleet. For example, if a bus fleet includes some buses with crash or constant-mesh boxes, trainees must be able to drive such buses, and will, in fact, be tested on such a bus—even if most of the vehicles in the fleet have semi-automatic gearboxes.
However, a trainee with an undertaking which employs buses with semi-automatic gearboxes only will be trained to drive such buses, and will be tested on a bus with a semi-automatic gearbox. If he is successful, he will obtain a psv driver's licence restricted to buses with semi-automatic boxes. Similarly, if a driver passes his psv test at the controls of a single-deck bus his licence will only entitle him to drive single-deckers not exceeding the length of the vehicle in which he took the test. If he wishes to drive doubledeckers, for example, a trainee driver will have to take his test on a double-decker.