Minibus Procedure
Driver Eligibility
Any person whether they are Students, Students’ Union or University staff must pass the
MiDAS proficiency test. All potential drivers must be aged 21+ and have a valid, full car
driving licence with UK entitlements with no more that 6 penalty points, and must have held
it for more than 2 years;
 The MiDAS proficiency test is available from the Students’ Union free of charge to
Students and Students’ Union Staff, carried out by a qualified DAT (Driver Assessor
Trainer).
 A charge of £50 will be made to University staff. Other individuals not listed above in 1.1
will be charged £150.
 All persons booking a MiDAS proficiency test will be subject to a £10 refundable deposit
upon booking of the test.
 All persons must declare any driving offences which will be dealt with on an individual
basis.
Minibus Deposits
The deposit for the minibus will be £100 required from the designated driver in cash or valid
cheque before the bus is taken, unless otherwise effected by the conditions below;
 Should the designated driver be driving for a Club or Society wishing to use the bus, the
driver will be required to provide 50% of the deposit and the Club or Society the other
50% (held in the Kit and Equipment deposit account).
 Any member of University staff using the bus for work purposes (ie. Field trips,
representational sport) will be required to provide a confirmation e-mail or letter from
their head of department understanding and agreeing to pay the full excess should the
need arise. Should a confirmation not be present, the current full excess must be left as a
deposit.
 Any member of Students’ Union staff or Sabbatical officer using the bus for work
purposes will not be required to provide a deposit. However should they be driving for a
Club or Society they are affiliated too they will be held under the restrictions of 2.1
above.
Booking the Minibus
The booking of the minibus will operate on a first come, first serve basis, with certain
exceptions listed below;
 Clubs and Societies will have priority over University Department and external hires, and
the University will have priority over external hirers.
 Should a bus be required by more than one club/society at the same time, a decision of
priority will be based on number of persons and distance to be travelled. The final
decision will lie with the Student Opportunities Manager (or nominated staff member).
The buses can be booked from the following places;
 In Cambridge the minibus can only be booked through the SU office with a relevant
member of staff.
 In Chelmsford the minibus can only be booked through the SU office with a relevant
member of staff.
 The minibus can only be booked a maximum of 4 weeks in advance of the date it is
required. Exceptions to this are that the Students’ Union can pre book for services such as
the SUpermarket bus or block book in advance for teams competing in sporting fixtures.
This does not include training sessions.
 Cancellations of minibus bookings must be made 24 hours in advance to the cancellation,
a charge of £50 will be made should a cancellation be made after the 24 hours deadline.
Clubs and Societies will have a fine of up to £50 at the discretion of the Student
Opportunities Manager.
 Clubs and Societies will have priority over any other bookings from external hires. Any
costs incurred by the Students’ Union to provide transport in such circumstances will be
charged to the external party, as long as that external party is notified within one week
of the hire date.
Driver Responsibility
When a driver takes out a Students’ Union minibus, they automatically take onboard a duty of
care, to the minibus, the Students’ Unions name and most importantly the passengers as well
as responsibilities listed below. Drivers will be subject to possible repercussions and/or
disciplinary action should the driver be in breach of any of the below;
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Drivers must ensure that all passengers in the minibus are advised to wear their seatbelts
and do not exceed the maximum passenger numbers. It is illegal to have standing
passengers. Do not block the gangways; it is a legal requirement for passengers to have
access to two exits.
Alcohol consumption or smoking is not permitted in the Students’ Union minibuses at
any time, it is illegal.
It is an offence to use a hand held phone or similar device when driving.
The drivers must abide by the speed limits and the rules of the road at all times. Any
speeding fine incurred whilst in care of the minibus will be charged to the driver as well
as the points added to their licence. Please note that administrative charges for such
offences will also be passed on to the driver. Any driver caught speeding will be subject
to an investigation mentioned in 4.6, 4.7 and 4.8.
A notice for other road users to report poor driving will be displayed on the rear of the
buses.
After reports of any kind of poor driving the driver will be suspended from driving any minibus
that the Students’ Union insures pending an investigation. The investigation will be carried out
by either the Student Opportunities Manager (or nominated staff member). The investigation
may involve taking a statement from the driver in question and the complainant(s).
The result of any investigation will be made known within 15 working days.
The driver in question will only receive their rights to drive the minibus again after the
investigation has been carried out and any disciplinary procedures have been concluded.
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The results of the investigation will be one or more of the following and are at the
discretion of the Student Opportunities Manager (or nominated staff member) depending
on the severity of the incident.
 The driver will be able to continue driving.
 The driver will receive further training.
 The driver will be re tested.
 The driver will be banned from driving the minibus.
Should a driver have any incident a full investigation must be undertaken as mentioned
above.
If a student is dissatisfied with the results of the investigation they can raise this through
the Students’ Union complaints procedure.