• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Insulin and driving historic bus

Janor

Newbie
Messages
2
Hi can some one please help me, I am type two diabetic and have just been put on insulin, I have restored a London bus over the last 25 years and it is my pride and joy, I can drive it on a normal license as it does not carry fare paying passengers, it weight is 6 tons, what is the situation now that I am on insulin, can anybody help please
 
I don't know the answer, but would suggest you contat DUK and the DVLA. It would be sad if you can't. So I hope it's OK. It may depend on the uses you put the bus to.
Hana
 
When I called the DVLA and told the that I was T2 dabetes all they said was,, I could not drive a vehicle for work but could still drive as I was on tablet form, I'm not sure about insulin.

As was said I would call them and ask them about the tonnage.
 
As you've already identified, insulin is the important factor here, so you need to ask that question. Your current licence is no longer valid as your circumstances have changed, and starting on insulin kicks off a new load of medical questions, after which you will probably get a 3 year licence only, with some restriction on the types of vehicle you are permitted to drive.

Since you're not carrying passengers, what is the difference between your bus and a lorry? Probably not much, including the vehicle weight.
 
Hi
thanks for your replies, I have contacted the dlva and there coments are that after a limited time when my sugars a stable I can apply to drive over 7 tons, as the bus is only six tons this seems ok. but the sting in the tale is that if there are more than eight seats it is classed as a psv so I can not drive it unless I take the extra seats out, a bus with out seats would not really look like a bus, the bus is classed as a historic vechicle, and I am now looking into this to see if it exempt under psv regs, I do not carry more than eight passengers,
this looks like a goverment grey area, when is a bus, not a pvc?
if any body has had the same problems can they please help
 
They must have changed the rules as a few years ago I used to be a taxi driver and part of the job was driving mini busses, Now I could drive an eight seater on my drivers license but needed the psv license to driver the sixteen seater "for paying passengers only" an empty one I could drive on my drivers license.
As when I returned to England from Northern Ireland with my children, I hired a 16 seater no problems.
 
Back
Top