Minibus 2000

This Page was written a few years ago when driving a minibus seemed even more of a faff!!

Disclaimer and health warning!

This information should now be considered out of date - and some of it may be incorrect - but remains here for reference. It relates to when the club first started to deal with new minibus and towing regulations in the summer of 2000. Please see this page for more up to date musings on the issue.

Background

As you may or may not realise, new driving licenses do not include the category to drive a minibus with trailer, and this will have a large effect on the way we run SUCC trips. While older drivers can drive a minibus carrying passengers and a trailer, drivers with the new form of licence can either drive a minibus with passengers or drive a trailer - but not both at the same time. We're coming up to the last few drivers who are eligible to drive an minibus with trailer being able to register with the union (Andy and Jackie?), so we believe that the problem will start to manifest itself from the start of the academic year 2001-2002 (i.e. a year this September). If a solution has not been found by then the club will be relying on a dwindling number of drivers to go on as many trips as they can (it would have to be 4th years or postgrads, of whom there are limited numbers).

The will be a special meeting of the Canoe Club on Tuesday 16th May 2000 at 7.30pm in the Union Committee room (level 2 of the main union building) to discuss this problem. The problem is a large one, and we need to start addressing it now. Set out below are a number of ideas intended to provoke discussion - please read them and bring yourselves, and your ideas, to the meeting!

Possible solutions and rough costings

Here are a few ideas which could get us around the problem. None of them are necessarily the right way to go, but they should give a few points to get everyone thinking.

Bear in mind that at the same time as solving the main problem, the club also has an opportunity to solve the issue of minibus and trailer overloading. There are some fairly tight regulations as to how much weight you are meant to carry on a roofrack and tow in a trailer - it is safe to assume that all our current trips take us over those limits. As the union moves more responsibility over these issues onto the individual driver, the club needs to seriously consider how to address these issues too. The different solutions below ease the overloading to different degrees. While current drivers are very concerned about the overloading, it is generally agreed that spending money to (for example) modify the trailer would be a waste if the trailer were to become unused in a years time.

Solution 1, Hire two buses for every trip

This is obviously a very expensive option - we cannot rely on a union minibus for every trip, so we could be in the situation of hiring two buses externally, which would be liable to almost double the cost of a trip. It would also double the number of drivers needed for each trip. If one bus didn-t carry any passengers, or we hired a transit, then we could tow a trailer behind that if needed, which would also solve the current minibus overloading problems.

Solution 2, Pay for drivers to take the DVLA trailer licence test

This is a somewhat unknown option. We don’t know how much the test costs, or how much the training course for the test would cost. But bear in mind it would be a year on cost – every year you’d need to get the new batch of drivers tested (maybe you should work out roughly how many people a year that would be). Also remember that some people could fail the test. However, we wouldn’t need an increased number of drivers for each trip, and we would also still only be paying for one vehicle per trip.

On the overloading issue, we would still have to cut down on the number of people and/or kit on trips, and have the trailer modified to take kit and/or short boats.

Solution 3, Buy a transit van or similar (or get the Union to)

Although this sounds a little crazy and involves large initial outlay, once the van is bought it could offer the lowest cost per trip. (For example, apparently the union are selling the old New College minibus for £2000, so a second hand bus isn't really that much). We could still get travel subsidy on the petrol, and hopefully come to some arrangement with the union regarding insurance / MOT etc. Since there would be no passengers in the van we could probably get away with only one driver for the van and two for the minibus. On most trips we could dispense with the trailer – long boats could go on the roofracks of both the van and minibus, and short boats inside the back of the van (so no modifications to the trailer needed). All peoples kit could go in the van, solving the bus overcrowding problem and meaning we could get more people on the minibus. On "big" trips the van could still tow the trailer. And the minibus could travel at 70mph on motorways rather than the 60mph limited by towing!!

Time Scales

• Best case scenario: Ford ring us up tomorrow and offer to sponsor us and give us a transit for free.
• Worst case scenario: Nothing is done this term. In the autumn term the club is understandably really busy running trips and sorting out the freshers, so nothing is done. After the spring exams there are only a few weeks left before the new committee take over. When the new committee takes over they find they only have a few weeks left before the summer exams to raise enough money to buy a transit. Ooops.

Obviously both these scenarios are pretty unlikely. But we need to get it in our minds that whichever option is chosen to solve the problem, we will need extra money, and we need to start fundraising the money from this September. Even if we start fundraising and then Ford give us a free transit (I wish) I’m sure the club could still find something to do with the money…

Fundraising

The first thing to note is that the cost of trips will go up no matter what option is chosen. This will be unpopular, but is unavoidable; the club must find the least painful solution. Here are a few ideas

• Since the cost of a trip will go up in September 2001, that trip cost increase could be brought forward to take effect from September 2000. Maybe by £4 or so. However, it should be widely known why it has gone up, and make sure that this extra £4 (or whatever) is locked into the minibus fund – the money should not be used to prop up financially suicidal trips. And if the club makes more that it’s allowed profit plus the minibus fund per trip, people should still get a refund.
• Don’t decrease the club membership. The club membership was increased 2 years ago to compensate for the club paying for the New College pool sessions. Since members now pay individually through the Dolphin Card scheme, in theory the membership should drop. Instead, lock this money into the minibus fund.
• Don’t buy so much kit this year.
• Other imaginative fundraising ideas suggested by club members…

Summary

A summary of the important points

• The cost of club trips will go up. This is unfortunate and unwelcome, but inevitable.
• There are a number of possible solutions – although we cannot yet judge which will be the best solution we can prepare the club to be in as best as possible a position to deal with whichever solution is needed.
• It is almost certain that the club will (somehow) need to raise an amount of money above and beyond it’s normal budget.
• Just because a solution seems impossible to achieve don’t dismiss it. It may end up being the only available solution, and we need to deal with that. Aim high, and we can easily adjust to a lower target; aim low and it will probably be too late to raise the extra cash.
• We need to think long-term on this one. We cannot just ignore the problem because we think it is too hard to overcome – it will happen. The time to start planning for fundraising etc. is NOW.

The current committee needs to plan for a situation for which they will not oversee, and which doesn’t have a clear outcome. This is your chance to help them out and have your say – please come along to the meeting!