Minibuses for Nurseries

There are two main ways of financing your nursery minibus; purchase the minibus outright or take out a lease (business contract hire) to pay for the vehicle monthly.

Some businesses find it impossible to raise the funds to purchase the minibus outright and this is where leasing comes into play. Our definitive guide to leasing helps you through:

• Why choose leasing
• How leasing works
• Plus the different types of leasing

Read more about minibus leasing

There are many seat configurations available on minibuses – from 9 to 17 seats. Our most popular seating requirement for nursery schools and pre-schools is a 9 seat minibus from either the Ford or Renault range, but vehicles from Citroen, Volkswagen and Mercedes are available too.

If you are looking for a minibus with 9 or less seats, and are not looking to charge for the service of carrying passengers, you will simply need a driver with a car driving licence to operate your minibus.

We have had customers who were originally looking for a minibus for their nursery business decide to go with a large people carrier such as a Ford Grand C-Max, Kia Carens, Volkswagen Sharan, Seat Alhambra, as this fulfilled their needs more accurately. We can help with sourcing this type of vehicle too.

If you are looking at a minibus with more than 9 seats or will be charging for the service of carrying passengers then you will need to read our dedicated section on driving licences and minibus permits.

Firstly, anyone who drives a minibus will need to hold a minimum of a standard car driving licence (B1 licence). However, once you get past this point, there are other factors to consider which will affect the need for certain driving licences and permits.

Here are a few:

• How many seats does the minibus have?
• How much does the minibus weigh?
• Will you be charging a fee for the passengers on the minibus?

Read our guide to ‘Who can drive a nursery school minibus’ for full information.

If you will not be charging for passengers to travel on your nursery minibus then you will not be required to hold a specific permit.

However, if this will be a chargeable service you will need to look at applying for at least one permit from the DVSA.

Read our guide to minibus permits to find out which permits you need to apply for.

If you have already decided that minibus leasing is right for you, then the only other consideration for your nursery minibus is whether to include maintenance or not.

There are many advantages to including maintenance as part of your minibus leasing contract, read our minibus leasing guide to consider both options.