Union Minibuses

The Students' Union have three minibuses for use by students and staff within the University. Anglia Ruskin Students' Union minibus policy is aimed at regulating the use of the Union's minibus to ensure that the best use is made of the vehicle by the Clubs and Societies.

The Students' Union has two minibuses for hire for Cambridge based students and university staff. For more information, visit the Gym pages under Cambridge Student Activities. 

The Students' Union has a minibus for use by clubs and societies. Before you can drive a minibus, you must either:

a) Be aged 21+ and have been driving for a minimum of two years, or
b) Have passed your driving test pre 1 January 1997.

If you meet one of the aforementioned criteria, you must also make sure that you are eligible to be insured under the Anglia Ruskin Students' Union insurance policy.  Therefore, any driver who has:

i.      any endorsement on their license.
ii.    been convicted of a driving offence in the last 5 years.
iii.   had an accident in the last 3 years.

may not be covered under the terms of the Students' Union insurance policy, and therefore be unable to drive the minibus. 

If you are eligible to drive the minibus and you do not have serious driving convictions, you are then able to book yourself in for a driving proficiency test.  The proficiency test must be completed before you book the minibus.  A qualified DAT (Driver Assessor Training) assessor will carry out a proficiency test with you to make sure they are satisfied with your driving skills and competence. Please book your proficiency test with Jo Harbrow in the SU office( Chelmsford) or Martyn Blackford in the gym (Cambridge)

Named Drivers

• All drivers must (for insurance purposes) register with the Students' Union at the start of the year and then pass a test with Martyn Blackford or Jo Harbrow. To be registered on the Students' Union insurance you will need to bring in your driving license (both parts) and a recent photograph.
• Each Club or Society will be permitted two named drivers. Sports Clubs with three or more sports teams may apply to the Students Union for more than two drivers. A list of all permitted drivers will be held in the Gym office.
• Qualified drivers can drive for more than one Club.

Booking The Minibus

• The mini-bus can be booked with the administrator in the Gym Office
• No bookings can be made more than two weeks in advance of the required date.
• The minibus is not allowed to be used for trips abroad.
• A Club or Society is only allowed two overnight bookings per semester.

A record of all minibus bookings is held in the Gym Office. Any queries should be directed towards the Gym Office. Any cancellations must be made 24 hours before the date it was booked. Any Club not reporting cancellations will be penalised by a charge of £5.00 levied at the discretion of the Finance & Services Sabbatical.

Using The Minibus

• The driver has responsibility for the Minibus and everyone in it. Once the keys have been handed over it is the drivers responsibility, even if someone else drives the Minibus.
• The keys to the minibus and the log book (which must be completed) are kept in the Gym office(Cambridge) SU Office (Chelmsford) and will only be handed over on receipt of a valid drivers card and a personal deposit of £75 which will be required to cover any potential misuse.
• This deposit and drivers card will be returned when the bus has been checked by the gym staff. All fuel receipts must be handed in with the mini-bus keys to the gym office or to security when out of hours.
• The minibus, keys and log book must be returned before the end of the booking period (for evening bookings by 9.00am the next morning to the Students' Union office). For any journey, local or national the minibus must be returned with the same amount of fuel it was taken out with. Every time the bus is taken out the gym staff/SU Staff are required to see a fuel receipt before the deposit can be given back. (If it is not full or if no fuel receipt with the your Clubs name on it is included in the log book then an estimate will be made by the Union Finance Department and this will be deducted from your Club or Society account.). If the fuel tank is not full on collection of the minibus then this should be made known to the Union Office before the minibus is taken.
• The minibus must be returned in a clean state. All rubbish must be removed from the minibus before returning the keys. If the minibus requires cleaning as a result of misuse by a Club or Society the deposit will be not be returned. Constant offenders face being banned from using the minibus for a period determined by the Sports Council.
• Once the keys, log book and fuel receipts have been returned and a member of gym staff has checked the minibus then the drivers card and deposit will be returned. A fine will be levied if any of the above are not completed e.g. receipts, return of keys.
• The minibus must be parked in the designated parking space.
• Smoking and the consumption of alcohol are prohibited in the Minibus.
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Accidents And Damage To The Minibus

It is the responsibility of the driver to report to the Union Office if any accidents or accidental damage occurs to the minibus. If this is not done within 24 hours of returning the minibus, the Club or Society will be suspended from using the Minibus.

Notification Of Endorsements, Accidents And Incapacity To Drive.

A driver must notify the Gym Staff or Jo as soon as possible of any of the following :-

• Any new driving endorsements on your licence.
• Any new driving convictions of driving offences.
• Any motoring accidents involving the driver.
• Any illness of incapacity which could affect their ability to drive (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, impairment of vision etc.)
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Minibus charges for clubs and societies

• There is no fee for clubs and societies to hire the minibus.
• As above, clubs and societies must pay a deposit and pay for all fuel.
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Minibus charges for University staff

• Hire of the Union minibus is charged at £50 per day.
• As above, all university staff must pay a deposit and pay for all fuel.

Link to the DVLA Mini bus guide