How do you know if your minibus is in a safe
and roadworthy condition?

Just having a quick look round, but not knowing what to look for neither makes an effective or productive daily ‘walk round’ check. Therefore it’s essential to know what exactly passes as roadworthy and what counts as a defect.

It is the minibus owner’s or operator’s responsibility to ensure that a minibus whether owned, borrowed, leased or hired-in is “kept” in a safe and roadworthy condition. Otherwise it would be an offence, jointly committed by the driver, if a defective minibus was used on the road.

Knowing exactly what passes as roadworthy can be compared to the standard required from the relevant MOT test. What serves as the ideal guide is the specially compiled “PSV Inspection Manual” available from VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency), which outlines; inspection procedures and minimum roadworthiness standards for the statutory testing of public service vehicles.

An effective roadworthiness maintenance system

A responsibility also rests with the minibus owner or operator to have an effective roadworthiness maintenance system in place. A responsible person should be appointed to oversee the smooth running of this maintenance system by planning regular safety inspections for all minibuses, communicating with drivers to ensure that driver walk-round checks are being made and any defects found are recorded and rectified.

The responsibility rests with the minibus owner or operator to ensure that all drivers also understand what passes as roadworthy and what counts as a defect by training their drivers through Minibus Road safety training in order to compliment and promote the smooth and successful operation of the maintenance process.

Next: Are you physically fit to drive a minibus?

Minibus “Safety-check” reference guide:

• A Safety Check worth remembering
• Regulations and responsibilities of driving or operating a minibus
• Statutory safety checks before driving a minibus
• Operating your minibus is in a safe and roadworthy condition?
• Are you physically fit to drive a minibus?
• The “Good Practice” course of action
• Can I legally drive a Minibus?
• Adding a new PCV category to your licence
• Operator Licencing
• PSV 437 Operator Licencing (opens new window)
• PSV 385 Minibus operating for voluntary groups (opens new window)
• Safe Operators guide (opens new window)
• Drivers’ Hours & Tachograph regulations (opens new window)
• VOSA (Vehicle & Operator Services Agency)
• Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness ( opens new window)
• Minibus Walkaround Check Poster (opens new window)
• INDG 382 Health & Safety, Driving at work (opens new window)
• Minibus Road Safety Training