What you Need to Know when Driving a Minibus Abroad

17 December 2018

​Whether you’re planning the coolest school trip of the year or going for a short break away from your usual surroundings, going abroad needs extensive planning, especially when with pupils and staff members in a school minibus. Breaking the news to your students that you’re taking them on an educational trip to Europe can lead to overwhelming excitement, although for you as the responsible adult for the fleet of vehicles, it can be one big headache. To combat the stress associated with planning, we’ve compiled a helpful list of tips to use when driving a school minibus abroad.

Under current UK and EU regulations, a minibus is a vehicle constructed and adapted to carry more than eight, with no more than sixteen passengers on board in addition to the assigned driver. To be on the safe side when travelling abroad, it is important to double check all legislation in the country you are visiting by contacting the licencing authority prior to setting off.  

Having documentation at hand is paramount to staying safe and compliant while on your school trip. As the UK is still present in the European Union, an EU Journey Form (Waybill) is required to be completed by the person responsible for the operation of the service, you! The waybill must be carried at all times if the vehicle contains more than eight passenger seats, regardless of how many passengers are travelling on the journey, so it’s important to keep this top of mind. 

In addition to the waybill, the dedicated driver should make sure the following documents are available for inspection, which may occur at any time:

Vehicle Registration Document
Current MOT Certificate
Insurance Certificate
European Accident Form
GB Plate
Green Card

To find out more on how you can stay compliant while driving abroad, please visit our ‘Compliance’ section of our website here.

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