Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Category D1 minibus licensing regime on Community Transport provision.

Category D1 licence rules changed almost 30 years ago, when the EU Second Driving Licence Directive removed automatic entitlement to Category D1(101) for Category B (car) licence holders.

Category D1(101) allows licence holders to drive minibuses when operated on a not for hire or reward basis. There are also more limited circumstances in which a minibus can be driven on a Category B driving licence.

The community transport sector reports that they are seeing an increase in the shortage of minibus drivers as those with D1(101) licences retire. However, despite the previous Government’s Call for Evidence in 2022, no evidence was provided that road safety would not be compromised by a relaxation of the licencing requirements.