Let us start by explaining who MiDAS is. MiDAS is the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme, organised by the Community Transport Association U.K. (CTA) which promotes a nationally recognised standard for the assessment and training of minibus drivers. It is a membership based scheme that is designed to enhance minibus driving standards and promote the safer operation of minibuses, currently there are over 5,000 member organisations throughout the UK. (CTAUK)

The MiDAS training is a combination of classroom based theory training plus on road assessment of driving skills.

In a nutshell the theory training will look at topics such as:

• Drivers’ legal responsibilities
• Passenger safety
• Driving for safety and economy
• Personal safety for drivers
• Collison and breakdown procedures

At the end of the theory training a written, multiple-choice theory assessment will take place before being awarded the certificate.

If you are running an accessible minibus, further training will need to be undertaken in the skills and knowledge required to safely use this type of vehicle plus the successful completion of practical skills assessment will need to be completed before receiving the certification.

MiDAS is applicable to any organisation that transports passengers by road, and member organisations range from small voluntary organisations operating one vehicle to local authorities operating large vehicle fleets. Many schools and other educational establishments are members and in its guidance to schools using minibuses, the Department for Education and Skills cites MiDAS training as good practice for all schools. Don’t worry if you haven’t got a vehicle, you can still join MiDAS and have anyone who will be driving for your organisation trained. (CTAUK)

CVM Minibuses work with a trusted qualified partner who can provide professional and compliant MiDAS training for you and your drivers. Simply get in contact with us and we will refer you to our partner to start discussing your MiDAS training needs.

Minibus leasing is when you choose Contract Hire to finance your vehicle. Vehicle leasing is a little bit like a mobile phone contract; you pay a deposit and make monthly payments. Instead of minutes, texts and a data allowance, you get a mileage allowance on your minibus.

At the end of the leasing agreement, you can upgrade to the latest model available and adjust the term and mileage to suit you better or even extend the current agreement.

There is a little more to it than that and there are lots of options, but all in all, it’s pretty simple.

You can choose to lease with or without maintenance on your minibus.

We offer two options when it comes to leasing your minibus – with or without maintenance.

If you choose to lease with maintenance, your monthly payment will include your annual MOT, scheduled services (based on mileage), roadside assistance, road fund licence and tyres. This is a great option if you are carefully budgeting your minibus costs or want total peace of mind.

We also offer the option of leasing your minibus without maintenance, so your monthly payment would just cover the cost of the actual minibus but no maintenance.

We are here to talk you through both options and find the best solution for you.

Yes. When you agree to leasing a minibus with us, we will discuss your annual mileage needs and ensure that your agreement will cover that mileage. Going over the annual contract mileage will incur an excess mileage charge per mile and will be billed at the end of the agreement. We will work with you to help choose the right annual mileage allowance for you to avoid such extra charges.

Yes — at CVM Group, we can help finance your next vehicle through a wide range of trusted funding partners, making the process simple, flexible, and tailored to your business needs. Whether you're looking for contract hire, finance lease, hire purchase, or another funding solution, we’ll guide you through the best options available.

We work with a strong panel of lenders including BNP Paribas, Close Brothers, Close Leasing, Paragon, and Alphera, allowing us to offer competitive rates and flexible terms across our full vehicle range. This means we can structure a solution that works for your budget, cash flow, and long-term plans.

In many cases, finance approval can be achieved in as little as 24 hours (subject to funder criteria), helping you get your vehicle on the road quickly and without unnecessary delays.

2-5 years

Yes, the DVSA stipulates that minibuses must have an annual MOT check and the first one should be 12 months after the vehicle was first registered. For more information about the annual MOT we recommend looking at this website www.gov.uk/annual-test-for-lorries-buses-and-trailers but please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss further.

For most organisations safety checks are not a legal requirement. However, we do recommend that for duty of care for your organisation that safety checks are carried out to ensure the minibus is working at its optimum capacity and to highlight any problems early on before they develop to a bigger problem.

We can work with you to organise regular minibus safety checks with a trusted partner of ours so you know you can expect the high level of service that you would receive from CVM Minibuses.

You can choose to lease with maintenance, your monthly payment will include your annual MOT, scheduled services (based on mileage), roadside assistance, road fund licence and tyres. This is a great option if you are carefully budgeting your minibus costs or want total peace of mind.

We can also arrange for the cost of minibus safety checks to be included as part of your regular monthly payment on your lease. Talk to us about including maintenance in your minibus lease.

CVM group is not limited to one set manufacture so we are able to offer you a range of brands. These can be any of the following: Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Renault, Volkswagen, MAN, Iveco, Maxus, Vauxhall, Nissan, Toyota and more!

Creating a minibus conversion to ensure accessibility for wheelchair users is one of our most popular conversions on our customer’s minibuses. Please visit our dedicated Minibus Conversion page for more information.

We believe in creating a minibus that is unique to your needs and offer fully bespoke minibus conversions. However, our most popular requests for conversions are Seating, Accessibility, Steps, Storage and we also offer additional equipment including tow bars, tachographs, sign writing and many others.

We are unique in the market to offer the following service to our customers:

1. Source your minibus
2. Organise the conversions
3. Add any special additional equipment you require
4. Organise finance on the minibus, conversion(s) and equipment into one regular monthly payment. Plus any maintenance you require.

The biggest minibus we offer is a 17 seater – you can choose between Vauxhall, Peugeot, Ford, Citroen and Mercedes-Benz.

The smallest minibus we offer is a 9 seater and you can choose from Ford, Citroen, Volkswagen and Renault if this is your requirement.

We are not tied to one particular manufacturer so we are in a unique position to offer minibuses from many vehicle manufacturers including Ford, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen, Volkswagen and Renault.

There is a large range of minibuses to choose from including:

• Ford Tourneo Custom (9 seat minibus)
• Ford Transit (12 to 17 seat minibus)
• Peugeot Expert (9 seat minibus)
• Peugeot Boxer (12 and 17 seat minibus)
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (9 and 17 seat minibus)
• Citroen (9, 15 and 17 seat minibus)
• Renault Trafic (9 seat minibus)
• Volkswagen Transporter Shuttle (9 seat minibus)

If the minibus you are looking for is not on the list, don’t hesitate to contact us as we can source many different vehicles to meet your minibus requirements.

Yes, we are proud to be a school minibus specialist and to look after the needs of:

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools
• Independent Schools
• Academies and Free Schools

At CVM our focus is the school and their needs to ensure the minibus they choose opens up new opportunities for the children and young adults. We offer unrivalled pricing and servicing on a wide range of minibuses from 9 seater to 17 seat vehicles. We also offer a wide range of accessible vehicles to suit your specific requirements.

At CVM Minibuses the most common question we get asked by organisations is "Who can drive a minibus?" We know that interpreting information from the DVLA can be difficult and time consuming and we would like to help all those trying to find this answer. The first place to start is to find out what type of licence the person who would like to drive a minibus has:

• Pre-1997 D1 category driving licence
• Post-1997 B category licence

In a nutshell yes you can in certain circumstances. This is our summary of the circumstances when you can:

Driver is under 21 years old, NOT held a car driving licence (B1 licence) for at least two years and the organisation DOES NOT run a section 19 permit:

If the person is not over 21 and not held the B category licence for two years they will only be able to drive a minibus with up to eight passenger seats and up to 3.5 tonnes in weight. CVM minibuses are able to supply a range of 9 seater minibuses that will fit this requirement, the most popular choices being the Ford Tourneo Custom, Volkswagen Shuttle and Renault Trafic.

Driver is over 21 years old, held a car driving licence (B1 licence) for at least two years and the organisation DOES NOT run a section 19 permit:

If the organisation does not run a section 19 permit then the person wanting to drive the minibus will still only be able to drive a minibus with up to eight passenger seats and up to 3.5 tonnes in weight. Visit our 9 seater minibus section for more information.

Driver is over 21 years old, held a car driving licence (B1 licence) for at least two years and the organisation does run a section 19 permit:

If the minibus will not have wheelchair access then the driver will be able to drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats and up to 3.5 tonnes in weight. CVM minibuses are able to supply a range of minibuses to fit this requirement including the very popular Ford Transit (15 seater only)

If the minibus will have wheelchair access then the driver will be able to drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats and up to 4.25 tonnes in weight. CVM minibuses are able to supply the Peugeot Boxer Featherlight, Citroen Relay and Ford Transit (15 seater only).