Drive with us
Driver supply, particularly from people who already hold the entitlement to drive a small bus, is a core assumption behind Community Ride Hub's plans. This page explains the licence position accurately, because it is genuinely easy to get wrong.
The licence position
Whether you can drive a small bus under a section 19 permit once Community Ride Hub holds one, and whether you can be paid to do it, depends on when you passed your car driving test.
- Passed before 1 January 1997
- You hold D1 entitlement automatically, as part of your existing car licence. Under a section 19 permit, you may be paid to drive a small bus.
- Passed on or after 1 January 1997
- You may drive a small bus on your category B (car) licence only if you have held that licence for at least two years, only within stated vehicle weight limits, and only without payment beyond out-of-pocket expenses. If your licence is restricted to automatic vehicles, you may only drive an automatic minibus.
This is a summary, not a substitute for a check of your own licence. Entitlement is always confirmed individually against your specific licence and test date — it is never assumed from your age or from when you think you passed. If you are not sure which category applies to you, contact Community Ride Hub and we will help you work it out.
What else is needed
- An enhanced DBS check, at the level appropriate to working with the passengers Community Ride Hub carries
- MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) training and assessment
- A medical declaration, and where relevant a medical assessment, appropriate to minibus driving
- Induction covering safeguarding, the vehicles used, and Community Ride Hub's own standards
- Ongoing training as Community Ride Hub's services and vehicles develop
What a shift actually involves
Driving for Community Ride Hub means planned, shared journeys for members — not on-demand taxi-style work.
Drivers can expect scheduled journeys agreed in advance, support from a passenger assistant or escort on some journeys, and vehicles that are checked, insured and maintained to the standard Community Ride Hub's policies require. Uniform and identification requirements are set out in driver induction. As above, paid driving is only available to drivers with pre-1997 D1 entitlement; category B drivers who qualify under the two-year rule volunteer their time and are reimbursed for expenses only.
Driver enquiry
What happens to what you send
This form records your interest in driving, including the licence position you self-declare, so we can contact you. It is not a completed application: you cannot upload a licence or DBS certificate here, and licence and DBS checks happen through a separate, controlled process. The Register a transport need form is for passenger demand, not driver applications.
Register your interest in driving
Email is the reliable route today. You can also read about other volunteer roles while applications open.