Becky Hinshelwood 18th October 2019

Which HGV License Do You Need to Drive A Bus?

When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, there are usually a limited number of answers (particularly if you ask bots), and ‘bus driver’ is one of the more popular ones. And who can blame them? Being able to drive a 12.5-tonne vehicle around, moving people from place to place and helping them get where they need to go is a pretty great aim. Bus driving is a very rewarding and popular job, with many people still signing up to take on the big wheels. But how do you become a bus driver, and what training do you need?

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Licence and Requirements for Bus Driving

When it comes to driving bigger vehicles, particularly those transporting other people instead of goods, the government gets pretty strict. There are some basic requirements for anyone looking to drive larger vehicles in general, including:

Being over 18 years old
Having a full car licence
Holding a Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence)

However, if you want to drive a bus of any kind (with or without a trailer), you need a few more qualifications, Mainly, you need a CAT D licence as a base, and a CAT D+E if you want to attach a trailer to that bus. You can get these licenses once you have your Driver CPC if you want to drive professionally, but if you want to drive a bus in a non-professional capacity, then you also have to be over 24. With a CAT D licence, you will be able to drive any bus or vehicle with over 8 passenger seats along with any tracked vehicle (you know, in case you wanted to drive a tank). But first, you will need a CAT B licence.

The CAT B Licence

Before you can go ahead with your CAT D licence, you will need to earn your CAT B licence first. This might sound like a lot of hard work – but we have some good news for you there. CAT B licence is just the industry term for your standard, full drivers license. CAT B means you can drive vehicles of up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass with up to 8 passenger seats – in other words, cars. It also allows you to tow trailers up to 750kg, and if you’re over 21 a motor tricycle with a power output above 15kW. Given that you’re looking at a career as not only a driver, but a specialised one, we assume you’ve already got this licence covered!

What Does the CAT D Licence Training Cover?

So, if you want to be a bus driver, then you need to hold a CAT D licence. Like many of the other types of HGV and LGV licence, CAT D is split into two parts: theory and practical. This training program is specifically designed to teach you how to drive a bus in a professional capacity safely and set you up for employment as a bus driver afterwards. This training will include

The rules and regulations of the road, with a particular focus on
The maintenance and general fixtures of the vehicle
Customer service
Everything about the safety of yourself, the passengers and other people sharing the road with you
Risk management and farsightedness

By the end of your training, you will have to sit both theory and practical tests, and if you pass, you will be all set to be a bus driver.

How Do I Get My CAT D Licence?

You come and speak to us! At Easy as HGV we offer a range of HGV training courses, including Cat D and Driver CPC courses for new drivers. With our help, you can get a crash course in large vehicle driving in general, and bus driving in particular. Not only that, but our team will even help you find your first job as a bus driver, giving you the best possible start to your new career.

If you would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.

Becky Hinshelwood

Becky is a writer for Easy as HGV, specialising in creating engaging content for the HGV industry and covering a variety of topics relevant to small businesses.

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