Please be aware our office will be closing early at 4pm on Friday the 6th of December. We will be back to normal operating hours from Monday. 

Enquire About Our Minibus Leasing Deals 

Want a quote on a minibus? Fill in the form below and one of the team will be in touch shortly.

Established in 2004, Wessex Fleet is one of the leading suppliers of minibus leasing in the UK. Whether your school, college or institution adds a minibus to its fleet or upgrades an existing vehicle, we’re here to help.

We're an approved supplier to:

  • NWUPC (North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium)
  • CPC (Crescent Purchasing Consortium)
  • SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium)
  • NEUPC (North East Universities Purchasing Consortium)
  • APUC (Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges)
  • HEPCW (Higher Education Purchasing Consortium Wales)
  • LUPC (London Universities Purchasing Consortium) Framework Agreements for Vehicle Hire and Leasing

To find out more about us helping your school, college, or university download our PDF here.

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Enquire About a Minibus Lease Deal Today

Many vehicles we supply are provided to HE institutions under VEH3085 Lot 3. Each year we provide hundreds of vehicles to member organisations across the UK. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask - chances are we’ve been asked the same question recently! We’ve worked with some of the consortiums since 2010.

Choose to purchase through us and we’ll keep you up to date with all the latest rules and regulations. We’ll ensure your business is fully compliant and we’ll make vehicle purchase, supply and management as straightforward as possible. We can offer all sorts of options and ideas, from nine-seater and all-electric minibuses to lightweight vehicles such as the Minibus Lite.

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Lease a Minibus Lite

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Wessex Fleet can supply a Minibus Lite from just £650 per month. Ask us for more details via the contact button below

The Minibus Lite has 17 seats, space for one wheelchair passenger, a wheelchair ramp, handrails, and an automatic sidestep. It has a six-speed manual gearbox and a 2.2 litre TDCi Eco Blue (140ps) Euro 6 compliant engine that achieves an average of 34.3mpg on a combined cycle. Its weight is 4,250kgs and there’s a spare payload of 352kgs, so masses of capacity.

It comes with all the added extras you’d expect and is the bus of choice for hundreds of organisations. 

To find out more, please contact our dedicated minibus and commercial vehicle team on 01722 548193 or via corporatesales@wessexfleet.co.uk.

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Types of Businesses That Could Suit a Minibus Lease Deal

We can provide minibus lease hire for businesses across a wide range of industries. If you represent one of the following then make sure to contact us for an amazing deal:

  • Schools
  • Universities
  • Colleges
  • Academies
  • Community groups
  • Charities
  • Corporate businesses
  • Sports clubs
  • Hotels and tour operators
  • Hospitals, clinics and care homes
  • Events planners

If your company’s sector is not on this list then don’t worry, we can still help you! Just make an enquiry to get started.

Benefits of Minibus Leasing

  • Lower Upfront Costs: Buying a minibus outright can be a huge outlay, especially in the short term. Leasing instead can help reduce this outlay. 
  • Fixed Monthly Payments: Make your budgeting much easier and more manageable, with all payments fixed for the duration of the minibus leasing contract.
  • Wide Variety of Minibus Models: Pick from loads of different minibuses to find the perfect one to suit your business.
  • Chance to Upgrade at the End: Once the lease term ends, you’ll be free to look for a different minibus, where you can get another brand-new one via a new minibus lease deal.
  • Key Servicing Included: Our minibus lease deals include maintenance and servicing, reducing the hassle of keeping the buses on the road.
  • Tax Deductions: Leasing for a business can help you save money on things like VAT, which can be claimed back.
  • Avoid Depreciation Concerns: Since you won’t own the minibus, you don’t need to worry about its value lowering over time, as you simply hand it back hassle-free.
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Why Choose Wessex Fleet For Your Minibus Lease Deal?

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  • We have extensive experience in business leasing, serving businesses in the UK for over 20 years.
  • You’ll receive a customised plan to help optimise your minibus’ performance while on the road, including vehicle tracking and monitoring, thanks to our fleet management service.
  • Get maintenance work and routine servicing included, as well as regular vehicle inspections
  • Choose from a range of finance options on any type of minibus.
  • Over 9000+ assets on UK roads, trusted by thousands of businesses.
  • We’re official members of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association.

Minibus Requirements: The Rules and Regulations

You’ll need to comply with some specific requirements: some legal, others simply best practice; some relating to the vehicle, others specific to the driver. We can help you put all the necessary procedures in place.

Lightweight minibuses can be driven on a standard licence with a Section 19 permit. So, opt for the Minibus Lite and you’ll have much more flexibility about which team members can drive. But choose a standard minibus and drivers who passed their test after 1 January 1997 will need to apply for a minibus licence to get behind the wheel.

 

Best Practice Processes: Safety First

Whatever option you decide upon, there are best practice procedures you’ll want to follow to make sure your minibus drivers are competent, and your passengers are safe.

We can help by:

  • offering a range of finance options on any type of minibus;
  • ensuring drivers have valid licences;
  • arranging regular vehicle inspections;
  • carrying out routine servicing and maintenance work;
  • putting procedures in place for drivers to log vehicle condition;
  • tracking vehicles and monitoring use; and
  • providing access to our telematics package and bespoke reporting.

We have a range of resources giving safety advice, please see our guide pages.

Our expertise means we have all your fleet needs covered. We can provide everything from small cars and grounds vehicles to vans and minibuses – so you only have to work with one fleet supplier. As with all the vehicles we provide, we can offer a full fleet management service for your minibus fleet. 

Our Mininbus Leasing Customer Reviews

Your Minibus Leasing Questions Answered

Which Minibus Models Can I Lease?

Here at Wessex Fleet, we have some exceptional minibuses available, thanks to our partnerships with top manufacturers and funders. This includes all types of minibuses in different sizes, ensuring there’s something to suit your business requirements. Contact us for more information on the exact minibus models available to lease today, and our expert team will be able to assist you. 

How Long Can I Lease a Minibus for With Wessex Fleet?

We’re flexible with the minibus leasing deals that we offer, with terms lasting from a few months to a couple of years. When you enquire about a minibus, just let us know how long you’ll need the bus and our team will be able to create a bespoke leasing deal to suit you.  

What Classifies as a Minibus?

A minibus is a vehicle with between seven and 16 passenger seats and a driver seat.

Vehicles with space for more than 16 passengers will fall into the category of a coach and need a different driving licence that you will need to take additional training and a test to obtain. 

Can You Drive a Minibus on a Normal Licence?

Drivers can drive a minibus with a standard UK driving licence provided there are fewer than 17 passengers and the vehicle weighs less than 3.5 tonnes. However, if they received their full driving licence after the 1st of January 1997 then they may need to get an additional permit.

After the 1st of January 1997 drivers were not automatically given the D1 category on their licence, which allows you to drive a vehicle that carries eight to 16 passengers. To drive a minibus with the ability to carry over eight passengers they will need to get a section 19 or 22 permit from the Traffic Commissioners' Office. 

Drivers without the D1 category can drive vehicles with up to eight passenger seats without any additional permit.

To drive a minibus, drivers will need to have:

  • A valid permit
  • Be over 21 years old
  • Have held a full car licence for a minimum of two years
  • Meet the Group 2 medical standards if over 70 years old
  • Are not driving for hire or reward

There will also be restrictions on the vehicles these people can drive, which are:

  • The maximum weight should not exceed 3.5 tonnes
  • Should not have more than 16 passenger seats
  • Not be towing a trailer

What Type of Insurance Do I Need for My Minibus?

If you are looking to use a minibus then this can usually be covered by your existing fleet insurance policy. 

However, depending on what you are using the vehicle for you might be interested in taking out a minibus-specific insurance policy specifically tailored to the unique passenger-carrying needs of minibuses.

What Happens at the End of the Minibus Lease?

Once your minibus leasing contract with us has ended, you’ll have a few options. You can extend the lease, purchase the minibus, take out a new lease on a different vehicle or simply return the vehicle to us. A few months from the end date, our team will discuss your options in full with you to help work out which would be best for your business. 

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