Government consults on easing restrictions for 18 and 19 year-old bus and coach drivers

The Department for Transport (DfT) has opened a consultation on changing the licensing restrictions for 18- and 19-year-old bus and coach drivers in Great Britain.

Under the proposals, younger drivers could operate non-regular services, such as private hire and tours, and regular services longer than 50km. Nothing has changed yet. The consultation was published on 6 November 2026 and closes at 11:59pm on 18 December 2026.

What are the current rules?

Drivers can get a category D bus and coach licence from age 18. However, 18- and 19-year-olds can only carry passengers on regular services with routes of 50km or less. Drivers must be 20 or older to carry passengers on every type of service.

DfT gives a simple example. An 18-year-old can drive a regular school service. The same driver can’t take those pupils on a one-off trip to a local farm, even if the journey is shorter.

Why is the Government reviewing them?

The restrictions came in through the Vehicle Drivers (Certificates of Professional Competence) Regulations 2007, which implemented an EU directive. DfT says they weren’t introduced specifically as a road safety measure. It argues they now limit job opportunities for young people and shrink the pool of drivers available to operators.

The impact is greatest in the coach sector, where much of the work is non-regular. In a DfT survey of operators earlier this year, 27% of coach operators said they had no work suitable for 18- and 19-year-old drivers. According to DVLA records, only 68 18-year-olds and 456 19-year-olds held a full bus and coach licence in September 2026.

The three options

DfT says it has no preferred option, and elements of each could be combined.

1. Mandatory training. The current restrictions would stay, but drivers enrolled in or holding a Level 2 passenger carrying vehicle driving qualification (or equivalent) could apply to DVSA for a concession. That concession would let them drive non-regular services and regular services over 50km. Drivers would carry proof of the concession, and DVSA would enforce it through roadside checks.
2. Driver monitoring technology. The restrictions would be removed. Operators would be required to monitor the driving behaviour of all 18- and 19-year-old drivers, for example through telematics or CCTV, and to review the data and intervene where needed.
3. Guidance for operators and drivers. The restrictions would be removed, and the Government would publish guidance on areas such as induction, mentoring, supervision and gradual route progression. DfT’s preference would be statutory guidance. That would need primary legislation, so the timing would depend on parliamentary time.

 

What would stay the same

Driver CPC would still be required under every option. The proposals cover category D and D+E licences only, so D1 and D1E minibus licences aren’t affected.

Any change would apply in Great Britain only. Driver licensing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. Young drivers would also stay subject to the existing restrictions on journeys into EU member states.

What could this mean for operators?

For coach operators especially, the change could widen the recruitment pool and give more flexibility when allocating work. Each option would also bring its own compliance responsibilities.

Under the training option, operators wanting to use young drivers on restricted work would need evidence of enrolment or completion of a recognised course. Under the monitoring option, operators would need to make sure the technology is fitted and working and assign a member of staff to review the data and decide on interventions. DVSA spot checks and the Traffic Commissioner regime would enforce this. Notably, it would apply to all 18- and 19-year-old drivers, including those already driving regular services under 50km.

Many operators may already be partway there. In DfT’s survey, 84% of respondents used driver monitoring technology in at least some vehicles, and 98% said novice drivers are mentored or supervised before carrying passengers alone. DfT also notes that technology costs would weigh more heavily on smaller operators, and that monitoring shouldn’t replace existing mentoring or supervision.

Whichever approach is chosen, clear and accessible records of training, supervision and driver performance are likely to be central to showing compliance.

Have your say

DfT is asking operators for practical evidence, including what monitoring technology they use, what data it collects, what it costs and how the data is acted on. Responses can be submitted through the online form on GOV.UK, or by email to busreform.consult@dft.gov.uk, before 11:59pm on 18 December 2026.

The full consultation is available on GOV.UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/amending-licensing-restrictions-for-18-and-19-year-old-bus-and-coach-drivers