TAKING A MINIBUS ABROAD
1. Minibuses, which can carry 10 or more persons (including the driver) and are used on journeys to or from the continent or the Republic of Ireland, come within the scope of European Union (EU) and other international regulations governing international bus and coach journeys.
2. This note aims to explain to those wishing to organise
privately operated, non-commercial minibus journeys what these regulations are and where to obtain further advice. When a vehicle is hired with a driver from a professional coach company, which carries passengers for
hire or reward and holds an international operator's licence, it is the responsibility of
that operator to comply with these regulations.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION
Own account journeys
3. International journeys carried out within the EU by a non-profit making body for the transport of its members in connection with its social objective or by a body for its own employees fall within the category of
own account operations. Provided that transport is not itself the main activity of the operator and that
the vehicle used is the property of the operator and is driven by a member of staff, such journeys can be carried out under an own account certificate instead of a waybill
[1]. These certificates are valid for up to five years and are available on application from the Department for Transport's International Road Freight Office (IRFO - address on page 5). However, certificates cannot be issued if a hired vehicle is used, even if the other criteria are fulfilled, and a waybill will be required.
Journeys using hired vehicles
4. The travel documentation required on international journeys varies according to the service being carried out and the countries visited. Most minibus journeys tend to fall into the category known as an
occasional closed-door tour, where the vehicle makes a round trip back to its starting point carrying the same group of passengers throughout.
5. For such tours to or through other EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) and Norway and Switzerland, a waybill must be completed and carried on the vehicle during the journey.
6. The EU member states are all signatories to the “Agreement on the international carriage of passengers by road by means of occasional coach and bus services”(ASOR Agreement ) which deals with the rules for certain international coach and bus services. The other signatories are Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Moldova and Turkey. However, there are separate waybills for EU and ASOR journeys. In addition, for ASOR journeys only, a set of translations will also be needed. The Confederation of Passenger Transport (address on page 4) can supply EU and ASOR waybills and a Set of Translations for a fee.
7. In most other countries closed-door tours are exempt from authorisation, but some, such as Ukraine, require a waybill. For journey documentation for non-EU/ASOR countries advice should be sought from IRFO or the appropriate embassies
[2] or tourist offices.
8. Within the EU, most other international journeys can also be carried out under cover of a waybill, apart from regular scheduled services, which can only be operated by professional hire or reward coach companies and which must be authorised by the Department for Transport. However, certain
residual occasional services also require authorisation, for instance where passengers are set down or picked up in different countries during the journey or where they do not all return together. If you are travelling abroad on an exchange visit and wish to be joined by your hosts on tours entirely within the other country, the journey will fall into this category.
9. You should contact IRFO if you think your journey will require prior authorisation. They will, if necessary, seek approval for the particular journey from each of the countries through which the vehicle will be travelling and issue an International Passenger Transport Authorisation (IPTA).
10. All journeys to non-EU countries, which are not closed-door tours, must be carried out under an IPTA and you will need to contact IRFO. Operators from other countries wishing to make journeys in the UK will need to obtain the correct documentation from their own transport authorities.
DRIVERS HOURS
11. EU Regulations concerning drivers' hours and tachograph (Regulations 3820/85 and 3821/85) require a tachograph to be installed and in use for international journeys undertaken by passenger vehicles with ten or more seats, including that of the driver. All passenger vehicles with more than 17 seats also need a tachograph for journeys within the UK to comply with EU drivers' hour’s rules. The rules limiting the hours of driving for international and domestic journeys are explained in booklet Rules on Drivers Hours and Tachographs available from the Vehicle and Operator Services (VOSA) Area Offices or from the DfT website
[3]
12. EU drivers' hour’s rules also apply in countries, which have signed the European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport ( the AETR Agreement). The current AETR Agreement signatories are, all EU Member States plus Andorra, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. It is compulsory to use a tachograph in AETR countries.
13. For journeys through another EU Member State to a country, which is neither EU nor AETR (e.g. Iceland), EU/AETR rules apply for the part of the journey within EU/AETR countries, and a tachograph must be used. Once outside the EU/AETR, drivers should follow local rules, if any, on drivers' hours, which should be sought from the appropriate embassy or tourist office.
FINES
14. Drivers who infringe the rules on documentation, drivers' hours and other traffic regulations such as speeding may be charged with an offence by enforcement officials in other countries and may be liable to on the spot fines, which may amount to hundreds of pounds. You should be careful to obey all such regulations when travelling abroad.
DRIVERS' AGE AND QUALIFICATIONS
15. In order to drive a minibus outside the United Kingdom all drivers must be at least 21 years of age and hold a driving licence with full category D1 or D entitlement. It is
not recommended that drivers who hold the limited national entitlement D1 (101) [i.e. where the driving is not for hire and reward], drive minibuses under any circumstances on temporary visits to the EU or other countries. If further advice about the requirements in specific countries (e.g. for a translation of the licence, or an International Driving Permit) is required then it should be sought from the licensing authority or the foreign embassy concerned in London.
16. Drivers intending to visit other EU countries should also have at least one year’s experience of driving a minibus or meet the requirements as explained in EU Directive 2003/59/EC
[4]. Alternatively, if the driver does not have a year’s experience of driving minibuses, a year’s experience of driving a goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes is acceptable.
INSURANCE
17. In most countries insurance against third party risks is compulsory. Domestic motor insurance policies issued in the UK automatically provide the UK levels of third party cover only in all other EU Member States and the minimum cover required by the respective national laws in Norway, Iceland, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. However, drivers requiring the full cover provided by their UK policy (for example, against damage to their own vehicle, fire and theft) will need to arrange this with their insurers in advance. Even where additional cover is not required, it may be a condition of the policy that the insurer is notified in advance of any intended foreign use.
18. Although a British insurance policy is all that is legally required by motorists visiting those countries listed above, it is advisable to obtain a Green Card from your insurer, which may be more easily recognised abroad than a UK insurance certificate. For other countries, a UK motor insurance certificate is not sufficient evidence and a Green Card must be carried to show that you comply with the insurance laws of the country you are visiting.
19. Drivers visiting countries other than those listed above should consult their insurers in any event.
Buses and Taxis Division
May 2009
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Confederation of Passenger Transport
3rd Floor, Drury House
33-43 Russell Street
LONDON
WC2B 5HA
Tel: 0207 240 3131
International Road Freight Office (IRFO)
Eastbrook
Shaftesbury Road
CAMBRIDGE
CB2 9BF
Tel: 01223 531030
DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT (VOSA) NATIONAL LICENSING OFFICE
Hillcrest House
386 Harehills Lane
LEEDS
LS9 6NF
Tel: 0300 123 9000
Fax: 0113 249 8142
[1] the term “waybill” or passenger list, as used throughout here, is the same as the term “control document”, which is used in EC legislation. The control document should contain at a minimum the following information: the type of service, the main itinerary and the carrier(s) involved.
[2]A list of embassies can be found at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk
[3]http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafet...achographrules/drivershourtachographrules.pdf
[4] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0059:EN:HTML
