D1: Safeguarding Community Transport’s future through driver licensing changes
Community Transport across the UK is facing a serious and growing shortage of qualified minibus drivers, which is already disrupting essential services, restricting innovation and growth and threatening the long-term sustainability of our movement.
The core issue lies in current driver licensing rules. Drivers must hold a minibus (category D1) licence to operate minibuses weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, either by test or for those who acquired a car (category B) licence before 1997.
The Cliff Edge
Community Transport is now rapidly approaching a cliff edge, which has been created by these rules.
Only 1% of D1 licences (by test and ‘grandfather rights’) in Great Britain are held by people under the age of 46. 99% are held by people between the ages of 46 and 69. Community Transport is increasingly reliant on this ageing and decreasing cohort of drivers.
In the next five years, more than 2.9 million D1 licences are likely to be lost by drivers turning 70, which is 21% of all D1 licences. D1 entitlement will continue to reduce in each of the following years, severely reducing the pool of potential employees and volunteers available to drive minibuses.
We need the UK Government to act now to avoid this dangerous cliff-edge and safeguard the long-term future of Community Transport. Without change, many Community Transport services and operators will be at risk of reduction, withdrawal or closure.
CTA has been calling for change for several years, but our campaign has now entered a new and important phase.
Options for Change
Based on member feedback, policy analysis and discussions with government, CTA has identified several potential routes to implementation, which we have presented in a new consultation paper.
These options offer three different ways that change could be achieved, balancing the need to safeguard passenger safety with the urgent need to address the driver shortage crisis affecting Community Transport:
1. Maintain the status quo with investment in D1 training
2. Replace the requirement to take a D1 test with a training-based licence ‘upgrade’ to D1 and introduce certain stipulations to maintain safety and quality standards
a. upgrade to full D1 licence
b. upgrade to D1 (101 exemption)
3. Exempt drivers for operators with Section 19, Section 22 (GB) and Section 10B (NI) permits
Our consultation paper explains these options for change, explores potential advantages and disadvantages and asks CTA members to share their experiences, insights and perspectives.
We will hold a series of focus groups with members and interviews with key stakeholders, followed by an online survey open to all CTA members.
We will use this data and evidence to produce a position paper setting out to Government our movement’s preferred approach and how it can be implemented.
Our Consultation
Between January and April 2026, CTA gathered views from members, affiliates and stakeholders through an online survey, focus groups and wider conversations. Thank you to everyone who contributed, including the 419 survey respondents and 26 focus group participants.
Our findings highlight the impact the shortage of D1 drivers is already having on Community Transport services, as well as strong support for a practical, training-based alternative to the current licensing requirements.
Download our infographic for the key findings, or read the Consultation Paper for more background on the campaign and proposed options. We’ll publish our full White Paper in autumn 2026.
Download our Consultation Paper Download the Survey Findings
Taking the D1 Campaign to Parliament
The next stage of our D1 Licensing Campaign will take place during Community Transport Week 2026, when CTA members and stakeholders will come together at the Palace of Westminster to launch our new White Paper and take our campaign for licensing reform directly to Parliament.
Our AGM and D1 Reception will take place on 15 October 2026 at the Terrace Pavilion, House of Commons. Kindly sponsored by Fleur Anderson MP, a long-time supporter of Community Transport, the reception will provide an opportunity to engage directly with MPs and highlight why reform of the current minibus licensing rules is so important to the future of our sector.
The event will set out CTA’s proposals for tackling the shortage of qualified minibus drivers, while maintaining passenger safety and supporting the long-term sustainability of Community Transport.
CTA members attending the reception are also being encouraged to invite their local MP to join them and hear first-hand about the challenges facing Community Transport.
You can use our editable email templates below, to invite your MP, whether or not your organisation is attending the reception itself.
If your organisation is attending the Westminster reception:
Download the attendee template
If your organisation is not attending the Westminster reception:
Download the non-attendee template
Prepare for conversations with MPs and policymakers
If you’re joining us at our AGM and D1 Reception in Parliament, read our briefing before the event. It includes key talking points, evidence from our D1 consultation and responses to common questions, helping you speak confidently about why minibus driver licensing reform matters to your organisation and community.
Read the D1 Campaign Reception Briefing
Find out more about the AGM and D1 Reception and register here.
Further Information
You can send any questions or comments to policy@ctauk.org and stay up-to-date with the progress of our campaign by signing up here for our newsletters.