Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of schemes such as MiDas in increasing the number of drivers who passed their test after 1997 who are then eligible to drive minibuses to support local volunteer bus services.

The Department has not assessed the Community Transport Association’s Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS), which they use to train community transport minibus drivers on the legal and safe operation of minibuses.

MiDAS does not replace the legal requirement to hold the correct driving licence to drive a minibus.