Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of driver licensing for community transport operators; and if she will review access to (a) D1 and (b) Certificate of Professional Competence licences for (i) volunteer and (ii) community drivers.

The previous government published a Call for Evidence in 2022 on driver licensing. It sought views on whether changes to D1 licensing could be made in a positive way to help industry, including community transport operators, without detrimental impact on road safety. The results were published in 2023 and despite there being support for removing D1 driver licence testing to increase the pool of drivers, there was no evidence that road safety would not be compromised.

There are circumstances when a driver may be able to drive a minibus with a category B (car) licence when stipulations are met and when driving under a Transport Act 1985 permit. Access to D1 licences requires additional testing for drivers who passed their car test after 1997. A Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is not required for volunteer or community drivers unless driving professionally for hire or reward. However, CPC training and testing are available to those who wish to enhance their skills or pursue professional driving roles.