Helping Bus & Coach operators thrive - G10 PSV Consulting

An operators licence sometimes requires that third party independent involvement for numerous reasons ... Whether you are applying for your first operators license or have found your compliance has slipped, We can help support you all the way. 

It's never too late to appoint a consultant to ensure or regain your PSV compliance. We know what the traffic commissioners and DVSA expect to see from an operator and we help to ensure that you are prepared at all times. Choose the correct Transport consultant, Choose G10 PSV

Applying for your first operators licence can be a daunting experience and ensuring you are fully aware of the process and your obligations can be a massive weight off your shoulders. There's a lot to consider and prepare for to avoid application delays. 

As transport consultants we aim to help submit applications or variations in full at point of submission which can avoid those dreaded further requests for supporting documents or information that can cause delays to any application. We always hope to ensure your application is dealt with on first submission within the standard 6-7 week application process. 

• Financial standing - Financial standing has to be proved as part of your application and the balances required for standard national & International licenses now stands at £8,000 for the first vehicle and £4,500 for each vehicle after. Restricted licenses are slightly less at £3,100 & £1,700. Financial standing must be shown at point of application by means of a 28 day bank statement and then maintained on an average balance for the life of your licence. 
• Good repute - Good repute is very important to the traffic commissioners and you must as part of your application process ensure you disclose anything that could impact your application or ability to hold and operators licence. But don't worry, We can ensure that your are supported through this process and can help detail and explain any adverse history there may be. 
• Operating centre - Having an operating centre in place that's suitable is a must before you even consider submitting your application to the Office of the traffic commissioner for consideration. An operating centre must meet a certain criteria and the application must be submitted with a full detailed plan, Photographic evidence and meet the minimum criteria. Remember to seek advise before committing to an operating centre that may be refused by the OTC. You need to demonstrate that it's suitable for your intended operation, Vehicles can enter in forward gear, Turn around and safely park and be able to exit the site safely and again in forward gear. 
• Transport Manager - Now, This is the tricky one . . If you are not qualified yourself as a PSV transport manager you will either need to sit the course and exam yourself or appoint an internal or external transport manager. Just remember that your proposed transport manager must have the relevant TMCPC qualification for the type of license that's being applied for and must be of good repute but most importantly you should be confident that any hired transport managers are going to indeed have your licences best interests at heart and be competent enough. 
• Business type - When making an application it must be submitted accurately and in the name of the person or entity that intends to operate the vehicles. If you are a limited company then the application needs to be submitted as such to include any directors or shareholders. If you are a sole trader then the application is made as the "person". Any documents you submit must match the applicant that's applying for the license or the entity in the case of ltd companies. 
• Maintenance - Its a great idea to get this box ticked off sooner rather than later as you'll need to demonstrate that you can maintain your vehicles to the required standards as per the "Guide to maintaining Roadworthiness". Your maintenance can be in house or external but you must ensure that the proposed maintenance provider is adequately qualified & Equipped to maintain your vehicles. A maintenance agreement must be in place and signed by both parties. please take note that the well known GV79 maintenance agreement has now been replaced. 
• Tachographs & Drivers hours - Drivers hours and its compliance is a number one priority and you must make it clear who will process your digital tachograph and vehicle unit data. There are many tachograph analysis companies out there that are very effective and you will need to also have a device that's suitable to extract driver and vehicle tachograph data. 
• Declarations - Once your license is ready to be submitted there will be 2 very important documents to sign .. Firstly the TM1 form needs to be signed by both the TM & directors and a copy uploading to the application together with the signed directors declaration form. Without these the license application can not be considered or dealt with. Note that once submitted the original copies need then posting to Leeds, These are known as the "wet copy". 
• Fees - Pay the fee ! Until you have paid the fee of £209.00 your application can not be submitted via the VOL system. ( £209 fee is correct as of 28th December 2023 )

Once your application is submitted via the vehicle operator licence system ( VOL ) it's the processed by a licencing team caseworker. Its very important to note that if the application is submitted in full the first time together with all supporting information then the application is simply processed and then in due course placed into notices and proceedings for that traffic area. Once it's gone through this process then the application is referred to the traffic commissioner for consideration. At this point the traffic commissioner may either : 

• Grant the licence - The traffic commissioner is happy with all aspects
• Grant the licence in part - This is where the traffic commissioner may grant the licence but with some attached conditions or undertakings
• Refuse the application - A licence refusal can be common and means that the traffic commissioner has a good cause or concern to refuse the application. The traffic commissioner may also refuse the application pending a hearing or public inquiry

Although most applications are straight forward getting them right and being 100% transparent From the start will always go in the applicants favour. one good thing to note is any discrepancies with applications that result in a request for further supporting evidence or documentation can lead to very long delays of up to 12-18 weeks. This is why we recommend the use of good Transport consultants for your PSV compliance

If your application has been granted then congratulations ! But . . Now the hard work starts as you are now an operator licence holder governed by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner and you have obligations to compliance, Road and passenger safety as well as keeping your operation up to date with current legislation and ensuring drivers hours, training and maintenance are all up to standard. 

An operators licence should not be abused in anyway and can swiftly have action taken against it causing turbulence for you operation. 

Once you've received the licence in the post you can then put your vehicles on the road once various other steps have beeb completed. ( You should not operate any vehicles until you receive your licence discs ).  

There's multiple benefits of having someone like G10 PSV on board from day one and beyond as it minimises disruption and ensures PSV compliance is met from point of application until you are well on your way being an operator and beyond. There's over 25 policies and procedures that need to be in place from compliance, training , drivers licence checking to self auditing etc. Using someone like us as an independent third party ensures ongoing compliance at an affordable cost without the heavy cost and long term commitment. What can we offer ?

• Application planning & completion support
• Help with producing the relevant documentation and helping you understand the process
• Dealing with communications from the office of the traffic commissioner
• Policies and procedures implementation
• Public inquiry support for when things go wrong
• Auditing to ensure your operations meets the required standards
• Documents and policies production
• Day to day advice and support  

Click here to book your free 15 minute telephone or zoom consultation with one of our bus and coach consultants ( After all it's free and no obligation ).