Does any one know any where I can do some volunteer driving to gain experience.

All the driving jobs I apply for all say they want someone with expereience.
The first excuse I had was you need to of held a driving licence for 3 years plus, now i have had it 3 years and kept it clean, they now say we want people with expereince.

So if there is any where I can do voluntary driving so i can put it on my cv and get a reference, I will do it.

have you got the minibus cat on your licence?
was behind a rotary club minibus yesterday looking for driving volunteers

Gumtree jobs have a volunteer section, have seen a few people wanting drivers for bands and equipment, etc. Chipping in for petrol type thing.

Also maybe www.do-it.org.uk is a place to keep an eye on. Ive got in contact with some organisations wanting volunteers through them

You need to make sure you verify its all cool with your insurance too.

Cat: B B1 fkp
thats whats on back of my licence, i dont know what it means lol

i was hoping for one where they supply vehicle and i just drive round doing deliverys

you can drive a mini bus on any licence but you will need a D1 to carry passengers (12 or more)

think they was wanting people to pick up the oldies for luncheon club lol

Some may supply a vehicle, depends on what they are offering I suppose.

Most places I've seen want you to have your own car, some chippies want delivery drivers, the YMCA shop in birkenhead want a voluntary driver but with your own van.

You can drive a minibus up to 16 passenger seats with a Cat B (car) licence so long as it is for social purposes and not for hire or reward (you are allowed out of pocket expenses - e.g. money for diesel). You must be 21 and have held your licence for minimum 2 years. Also, vehicle must be maximum 3.5 tonnes (or 4.25 tonnes incl. specialist equipment - e.g. wheelchair lift).

So to drive a minibus for commercial reasons you would need a D1 (or full D category licence).

So you could hire a minibus and drive 16 of your mates to the seaside for ice-cream and paddling in the sea, but you couldn't hire a minibus to start ferrying people around for cash.

Clear as mud!

Exempted passenger carrying vehicles

Holders of a full category B (car) driving licence may drive any of the vehicles listed below:


•a passenger carrying vehicle manufactured more than 30 years before the date when it is driven and not used for hire or reward or for the carriage of more than 8 passengers
•a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats provided the following conditions are met:

i. the vehicle is used for social purposes by a non-commercial body but not for hire or reward
ii. the driver is aged 21
iii. the driver has held a car (category B) licence for at least 2 years
iv. the driver is providing the service on a voluntary basis
v. the minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes including any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers
vi. if the driver is aged 70 or over, is able to meet the health standards for driving a D1 vehicle

When driving a minibus under these conditions you may not receive any payment or consideration for doing so other than out of pocket expenses or tow any size trailer; you may only drive minibuses in this country. Drivers aged 70 or over will need to make a special application, which involves meeting higher medical standards.

Holders of a full category D (PCV) driving licence can also drive a passenger carrying recovery vehicle. This is defined as a vehicle (not being an articulated goods vehicle combination) which:


•has an unladen weight not exceeding 10.2 tonnes
•is being operated by the holder of a public service vehicle (PSV) operator's licence and, is being used for the purpose of:

i. proceeding to, or returning from, a place where assistance is to be, or has been, given to a damaged or disabled passenger-carrying vehicle
ii. giving assistance to or moving a disabled passenger-carrying vehicle or moving a damaged vehicle

SOURCE

Have you considered going on the taxis? You need to spend a bit upfront to get your badge, medical and CRB but once you've got them you can pay weekly for a "settle car". It's hard work though and the overheads are steep but if you put lots of hours in it can be a good earner.