How Can Someone I Work With Drive Buses And He Has Never Sat A Pcv Examination , He Acquired His License Through Something Called Grandfather Rights 25 Years Ago, But Was Just Given The License Without A Test, He Has A Cpc, Why And How Is This Legal.

[maxi20]

It baffles me in this day and age this is allowed.

[Mozz71]

That's one hell of a title.

[douglas9401]

Don't worry, one day soon grandfathering will be just a memory, just keep taking the antacids meantime.

[douglas9401]

One too many 'just' there I think. :-)

[woofgang]

Being "Grandfathered In" used not to be uncommon in many situations. When a new qualification requirement comes in its often not feasible to require that everyone who is currently doing the job should immediately take the new test, do the new training or whatever. Enabling existing staff to be grandfathered in to the new system keeps the system going while new staff are trained and examined. The period when people can apply to be grandfathered is usually brief and the qualification tight....usually something like x years service and a clean record. As the workforce ages those people naturally leave the service. When the driving test came in, people who were already driving could apply for a licence without being tested. Similarly my father never took a driving test. He learned to drive in the army and on his demob, he applied for a civvy driving licence on the basis of his army experience.

[alavahalf]

My sister lived in Eire for many years. She applied for a provisional licence so that she was legal to learn to drive. She never had any lessons, but renewed her provisional when it was due. At that time in Southern Ireland, the driving test had a two year waiting list.
The Irish government in their wisdom decided to slash the waiting list and award a full licence to anyone who had held a provisional licence for two years or more.
The ruling is that a full Southern Ireland licence is equivalent to a full British Licence.

Soon after she moved to London and bought herself a car ... never having sat behind a steering wheel !
She told me that everyone in London is very friendly as they always shout, wave and sound their horns at her !

[andres]

Apparently this grandfathering rights came into force in 1997 and it meant that those of us having passed our practical driving test before 1997 would then be able to drive heavier transport vehicles without a further test. It must have come into being so quietly and without any big announcements that few people realise this. I certainly didn't .

[woofgang]

andres I don't think that entitles you to drive a passenger vehicle though

[andres]

Not sure about that it is very complicated ^^^. Just googled and can't follow it .

[Mamyalynne]

Check here under 'Acquired Rights'

https://www.gov.uk/driver-cpc-training/when-to-take-training

[hc4361]

It really is very simple. He had been working as a bus driver before the requirement came in to law and it would not have been practical to require existing bus drivers to pass a test.

[Hopkirk]

How big a bus?

I could well believe that a D1 licence for large minibuses might be acquired by grandfather rights, but surely not a D licence?

[woofgang]

Hopkirk, by what I understand here, he can indeed acquire a D licence through grandfather rights but he still has to do three blocks of training by three deadlines and the first deadline has passed...however he can continue to use his D licence while he does the training.
https://www.gov.uk/driver-cpc-training/when-to-take-training