What you need to know about minibus insurance - key notes

Not every person or organisation owns a minibus for the same purpose. The five different types of minibus insurance available from the Minibus Club highlight the different uses for this type of vehicle:

1) MPV Insurance

More commercial operators are now using MPV's for carrying passengers because of their versatility, comfort and the ease that the vehicle can be adapted to satisfy the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Examples of MPV use include education, nursing homes or for employee transport. A competitive MPV insurance policy will be tailored to the needs of the organisation.

2) Taxi Insurance

Many taxi operators use a minibus or MPV as a taxi because of the adaptability of the vehicle to carry more passengers and extra luggage.

Two types of taxi use are public and private hire. Public hire allows the taxi to be hailed by customers, who can then be picked up on the roadside. Private hire operators require the customer's journey to be arranged before they are picked up. A taxi operator will require additional insurance for the "carriage of persons for hire or reward", irrespective of whether they are private or public hire.

Public liability can be included with a taxi minibus insurance policy. It is needed to comply with local government requirements. A minibus taxi operator must have an indemnity limit of at least £5 million.

3) Family Minibus Insurance

Not all minibuses are used by commercial organisations. An increasing number of people recognise that a minibus can be a very versatile vehicle particularly when they have a large family who all like to travel together. There are minibus insurance packages specifically designed to cater for this type of use.

With this type of policy it is important to remember that the minibus can only be used for social, domestic and pleasure purposes. If there is any element of hire or reward in using the vehicle or it is used for commercial purposes then cover under this policy would not be applicable.

4) Charity Insurance

There are thousands of charitable organisations in the UK who use minibuses. Many charity groups rely on the versatility a minibus can provide in allowing them to take large numbers of passengers on journeys that may not have been easily achieved by using public transport.

A good minibus insurance provider will offer charity minibus insurance for non-profit making organisations to keep their vehicle running costs to a minimum. But a Section 19 or Section 22 permit will be required to prove to the insurance provider that the minibus is being used for charitable and non-profit activities.

5) Fleet Insurance

Large organisations may have more than one vehicle that needs insuring. Fleet insurance covers all vehicles under one policy regardless of their make or model, with no upper limit on fleet size.

It is the most economical way to insure more than one minibus. And it reduces the time and paperwork involved with insuring each vehicle separately.

For whatever the reason is that you own a minibus, a specialist minibus insurance provider can provide advice and help with finding the right insurance policy for your needs.