Tips for rental cars

April 6, 2012 | Author: admin

People often go on long holidays to various destinations. On every occasion of travel, the important thing is to make sure that transportation is smooth. Else you will end up with many inconveniences all through the journey that will take away from the comfort of the trip. You will find that it is actually cheaper to just opt for rental cars which are not just about cost effectiveness but also about comfort. You can go anywhere you want to easily and it is cheaper than getting a taxi each time you want to go someplace.

rental cars

There is greater flexibility to travel all through the trip. You will find many different kinds of cars to choose from which makes it all the more fun. Once you have your license and paperwork sorted out, you are well on your way to enjoying a good trip. There aren’t many hidden costs but it pays to be clear by asking questions while and after you have rented out a car. Keep researching on costs online and compare the costs to get the best deal of the lot of cars that you can use while traveling all over the countryside, research can help you save quite a bit of money.

When you plan a trip make sure you plan the kind of car you want to book and the time for which you want it well in advance. It will help you get the best price well in advance. This will help make sure that you get the car that you want well in advance without any troubles. In case the rate decreases or another company offers you a better deal you can always cancel the booking, this is quite a convenient way to plan things and you also have something in hand to negotiate with.

Make sure you discuss your needs with the company, also negotiate on the insurance costs and discuss any special needs you may have like a car where smoking is allowed, if you are a smoker. There are penalties if you smoke in no smoking rental cars. Check that the car is in good condition under the hood and also check for any dents. Make sure you and the company both know the condition that the car was in before you took it out for a drive. Checking all these particulars will ensure you have a good trip without any complications or difficulties.

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Do you have the right type of driving licence for your minibus?

April 5, 2012 | Author: opticals

Buying minibus insurance for your vehicle can seem daunting especially if you have never owned a larger vehicle before. Ensuring that you follow all the rules and regulations that apply to this type of vehicle can be difficult. The Minibus Club is staffed by minibus insurance specialists who can help guide you through this complex area.

When driving a vehicle on a public road, the driver is obliged to hold the correct type of licence for the particular vehicle that they are is driving. Minibuses are no different and failure to have the correct driving licence is a motoring offence. It is vital therefore that you check to make sure that each driver for your vehicle is correctly licenced to drive as the owner (or operator) has an overall responsibility to ensure that those driving are adequately trained and licenced to do so.

Many drivers are allowed to drive a minibus if it is not used for hire or reward. Hire or reward generally means that a direct (cash) or indirect (school or nursery fees, guests staying at a hotel etc) payment has been made by or on behalf of passengers that gives them right to be carried in your vehicle.

If you hold a driving licence that entitles you to drive cars (vehicles with a maximum of nine seats) and you passed your driving test before 1st January 1997 you can drive a minibus provided it has a maximum of 17 seats and is not being used for hire or reward. Your minibus entitlement will remain valid in the United Kingdom until your licence is next renewed.

If your passed your driving test after 1st January 1997 your car licence will not allow you to drive minibuses. There are however some circumstances where you may still be able to do so.

You may drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats provided:
(i) you drive on behalf of a non-commercial body for social purposes but not for hire or reward (unless operating under a permit);
(ii) you are aged 21 or over;
(iii) you have held a car (category B) licence for at least 2 years;
(iv) you are providing your service on a voluntary basis;
(v) the minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes excluding any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers. Minibuses up to 4.25 tonnes will be permitted in certain circumstances (see below); and
(vi) you do not tow a trailer.

This exemption does not apply if you are driving your vehicle for your own personal use. As such if you have buy a vehicle with ten or more seats for social, domestic and pleasure purposes you will need to contact the DVLA (or DVA in Northern Ireland) for more information. Failure to have the correct type of driving licence is not only illegal but can also invalidate your minibus insurance.

The minibus exemption listed above applies only if you are driving in the UK, so you must never use a minibus abroad unless you have the correct minibus driving licence.

We hope that you have found this information useful but if you have any questions about our minibus insurance policies or driving a minibus we will be happy to help.

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This article was brought to you by The Minibus Club. For more information about Minibus insurance visit www.minibusclub.co.uk

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Minibus Insurance: Hire and reward licensing

December 1, 2011 | Author: opticals

Buying the right type of minibus insurance for your vehicle can be a challenge, especially if you use your minibus for hire and reward. At the Minibus Club we are specialists in offering hire and reward minibus insurance.

A minibus driven for hire and reward is licensed by one of a number of organisations depending on where your business is located and how many seats your vehicle has. If your minibus has eight or less passenger seats then the vehicle is in effect a minicab and will be licensed by your local authority or if you operate in the Greater London area by Transport for London (“TfL”). Where this is the case you will also need to obtain a private hire driver’s licence or a hackney carriage licence to drive your minibus, these can be obtained either from TfL or your local authority.

If however your minibus is designed or adapted to carry nine or more passengers and does so for hire and reward it is a public service vehicle. This type of minibus requires a different licence which is called a Public Service Vehicle Operators licence and is sometimes abbreviated to PSV-O or PSV. These licences are issued by VOSA the national government agency responsible for licensing larger commercial vehicles.

VOSA define hire or reward as “When an operator or owner driver takes payment which gives a passenger a right to be carried on the vehicle regardless of whether a profit is made or not. The payment may be made by the passenger, or on the passenger’s behalf. It may be (a) a direct payment (e.g. a fare) or (b) an indirect payment (this could be an exchange for services such as a membership subscription to a club, payment for a bed in a hotel, school fees or payment for concert tickets where travel is included; the payment does not have to be money and the right to travel does not need to be taken up).”

The above definition takes in a wide range of minibus operators who may not think that they operate vehicle for hire and reward when in fact they do. Even if you do not take cash from passengers in your minibus you could still be operating a public service vehicle and if you don’t have hire and reward minibus insurance you could be driving illegally. This means that it is important to check whether your vehicle needs to be licensed by speaking to the appropriate agency. You should also explain exactly how your vehicle will be used when getting quotes for your minibus insurance.

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This article was brought to you by The Minibus Club. For more information about Minibus insurance visit www.minibusclub.co.uk

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