Charlotte Haye 29th March 2019

What Training Do You Need to Drive a Bus?

Have you wanted to drive a bus ever since you were a kid? Did you look up at your local bus driver in awe, wishing you could be in charge of such a big, beautiful vehicle? Or maybe you just want a change in career and like the idea of being able to help people get around in the transportation industry. Don’t worry, you’re not the only one! Bus driving is still a very popular job, and it can be very rewarding. After all, thousands of people every day take a bus or coach to travel, from a quick trip to the shops to cross-country road trips or even international travel. And all of them need a good driver to make the trip safely. So, how do you become a bus driver, and what training do you need?

Licence Requirements

As with any HGV driving qualification, the first thing you need to do is get your Driver CPC qualification. This proves that you are safe to drive in a professional capacity and understand the importance of safety on the roads. It involves theory and practical tests, a big dose of basic training and a few medical exams too. You can find out more about the Driver CPC here.

The Driver CPC will give you a basic understanding of how to drive large vehicles, the safety issues around them and how to meet all the regulations around HGV driving. This means that when you’re done with that, all you need is a top-up. You see, the Driver CPC just proves you have professional competence, but it doesn’t allow you to legally drive an HGV professionally. For that, you need a licence specific to the vehicle you want to drive. For a bus, that’s a Cat D licence.

Just to make things complicated, you also need a Cat B licence – and you need to do this first. The Cat B licence allows you to drive a vehicle of up to 3,500kg Maximum Authorised Mass, with up to 8 passenger seats. In other words, cars and trailers. From there, you can take your Cat D licence, which allows you to drive any bus with more than 8 passenger seats, as well as tracked vehicles (in case you ever wanted to drive a tank). With those 3 licenses, you can now become a bus driver.

Cat D Training

Cat D and D1 training are programmes specifically designed to teach you how to drive buses and minibuses in a professional capacity. Once you’ve achieved your Driver CPC qualification, you will need to take a Cat D training course as well.

During your Cat D training you will learn:

The rules and regulations of the road, particularly relating to HGV’s
The maintenance and general fixtures of HGV’s and busses
Customer service skills
Everything about the safety of yourself, the passengers and other people sharing the road with you
Risk management and future sightedness
Driving skills, with theory and practical skills and training for large, multi-seated vehicles

At the end of the training, you will be legally able to drive any passenger vehicle with more than 8 seats, and you’re ready to become a bus driver.

How Do I Train for a 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.

Charlotte Haye

Take the first step towards your dream HGV driving career. Contact Us

Call free 0800 970 8447

Get a Quote

Why choose Easy As HGV?

We're Local

Great Value

Speedy & Helpful

Trusted