Find out about our fast-track Cat. C+E training
PCV stands for Passenger Carrying Vehicle, and the requirements for obtaining a PCV licence are broadly similar to those for goods vehicles.
There are two categories of PCV licence:
As with goods vehicle licences, the “+E” suffix indicates that you may tow a trailer weighting more than 750kg behind your vehicle.
There is always a high level of demand for qualified bus and coach drivers, so gaining a Category D licence is a great career move.
Earning potential:
Up to £25,000 per annum (£14.88 per hour)
Suitable for:
Anyone with a car licence (Category B) over the age of 18 who is medically fit to drive.
Driver Hire Training are here to help you gain your new licence. We’re here with you every step of the way.
Training length:
The length of your training course will depend on the licence you require and any previous experience, including driving goods vehicles. It is likely to be somewhere between 1 – 7 days. We will be happy to discuss your specific requirements with you.
Course content and tests:
As with HGV training, the full PCV test is made up of several parts. Click here to see our ‘Getting Started‘ guide.
Costs:
Costs will vary depending on where you do your training. We can provide all this information when you call us or submit an enquiry form.
Once you have your licence, you will need to undergo a medical examination every 5 years and undertake 35 hours’ periodic Driver CPC training in order to keep your DQC up to date. This is standard for any PCV driver. Find out more about Driver CPC.
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A PCV is a Passenger Carrying Vehicle, like a minibus or coach. Category D1 PCVs have between 9 and 16 passenger seats, whereas Category D PCVs have more than 16 seats. To be able to drive these types of vehicles professionally, you will need to obtain a PCV licence.
You can gain a PCV licence by doing a short training course with Driver Hire. The length of the course will depend on what category of PCV licence you need, and what previous driving experience you have, but it will be no longer than 7 days. At the end of the course, you will need to take a test to qualify for your licence.
There is no difference between a PSV and a PCV licence – they are the same thing. PSV is an older term meaning Public Service Vehicle, and PCV is a newer term meaning Passenger Carrying Vehicle. Before 1992, it was called a PSV licence, but since then its name has changed and now you would get a PCV licence.
Your PCV licence must be renewed every five years, otherwise it is not legally up to date. If you are over the age of 65, it must be renewed every year. You will also need to sign a self-declaration to confirm that you are medically and physically fit to continue driving every time your PCV licence expires.
To drive a minibus “for hire and reward” (i.e. you are getting paid for it), you will need a category D1 PCV licence. This will allow you to drive PCV vehicles with 9 to 16 passenger seats. If you want to drive a passenger-carrying vehicle with over 16 passenger seats, you will need a Category D PCV licence.
If you are a driver with an existing automatic PCV licence, since 2015 you can upgrade it to a manual PCV licence, but only if you already have a manual vehicle licence. Furthermore, if you are planning to take your automatic PCV test to get your licence, you will automatically get a manual entitlement if you already hold a manual licence for another class of vehicle e.g. car or HGV. You can upgrade your licence by contacting the DVLA.
This will depend on the weight of your converted bus. If you passed your standard driving test (car) before 1997, you will be allowed to drive vehicle weighing up to 7.5 tonnes. But if you passed your driving test after 1997, you can only drive vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tonnes.
If your vehicle weighs over 7.5 tonnes, you will need a Category C, Class 2, HGV licence, which you can obtain with a short training course. In some circumstances, it might be possible to reclassify the weight of your vehicle by contacting the DVLA, if during the conversion you have made the vehicle lighter. You will not need a PCV licence unless you are planning to use the vehicle to carry passengers commercially.
With a Category D1 licence, you can drive Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs) with up to 16 passenger seats. This includes most minibuses too. Adding the ‘+E’ suffix to your Category D1 licence entitles you to tow a trailer weighing more than 750kg behind the minibus. If you want to drive a PCV with more than 16 passenger seats, you will need a Category D PCV licence.
If you are not driving a minibus for hire and reward (i.e. if there is no payment from the passengers), and it has no more than 16 passengers, then you may be able to operate it with your ordinary car licence.
If you want to drive a minibus commercially you will need a PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle) There are two categories of PCV licence: Category D1 covers vehicles with between 9 and 16 passenger seats, whereas Category D covers larger buses and coaches with over 16 passenger seats.
You can get your minibus licence by doing a PCV training course with Driver Hire. We offer courses for Category D and Category D1 qualifications, the length of which will depend on your previous driving experience – but it will not be longer than seven days.
To drive a bus or coach you need a Category D PCV licence, which covers you to drive commercial vehicles with over 16 passenger seats. It also covers you to drive smaller, Category D1 vehicles such as minibuses.
PCV licence costs vary, depending on where in the country you do your training. It can also vary depending on what qualifications you already have, e.g. an HGV licence. Get in touch with us to get a quote for PCV licence training.
