Minibuses operate almost the entire day, 24×7. This heavy use can easily take a toll on the vehicle. This gives rise to the regular checkups that a minibus should go through in order to eliminate the risks not just for the passengers but for the vehicle and owners too. If you did not know already, there are also mandated rules that revolve around minibus health by the government authorities. So in a way, these inspections are also essential to keep your business running and remaining reputed among the people you serve. This means that we at London Minibus Hire inspect each and every minibus annually, regardless of the fact that it has been heavily used or has been staying still in our parking spot. Here is a list that can easily help you stay in check all over the year.
Tyre health is an important factor for a smooth and hassle-free trip. They are literally the only part of the vehicle in contact with the ground. Recently, less than 2 years ago, specific rules were initiated regarding the use of tyres; which also mentioned particular pointers for minibuses. These are
If your minibus or public vehicle can support 8 or less than 8 passengers in one go, then these laws don’t directly apply to you since these vehicles sit in the category of cars and nor minibuses.
If you examine the details of your tyres, you can easily spot the legitimate manufacturer’s date code on them. Through these, you can get the exact idea of the age of your tyres. Remember, the law states the age of the tyres to be from the manufacturing date to the present date and not from the date of use or billing.
Firstly, the tyres are reasons enough to fail your MOT and annual test. Also, you will be issued an immediate prohibition. You can be fined anywhere up to 2500 pounds and additionally be banned from driving altogether. This can hit your professional repertoire quite hard. So, always ensure that your single wheels and front axle tyres are less than 10 years old at any given time; also ensure that the date on the tyres are visible as its absence can result in a delayed prohibition.
Minibuses need regular MOTs and like any other vehicle, they too demand regular maintenance checkups. MOTs are annual tests that determine the safety, roadability, and exhaust emissions of the vehicle. A valid certificate is required to successfully pass the test.
Vehicles that run under the Section 19 Permit are required to go through annual safety inspections done by a certified engineer. If your vehicle is under 12 years old, an inspection every 10 weeks is required to be conducted, says the DVSA. For vehicles above 12 years, 6 weeks is the recommended time span for the tests.
Not only do these tests help in keeping you in the good books of the authorities but they can turn out to be very cost-effective. Since, early identification of wear and tear, damages, mis-adjustments, or minor repairs can save time and major financial spills in the future.
All our minibuses at London Minibus Hire are always kept with the utmost regard for these rules, be it our range of medium-sized minibuses or larger variants.
