Minibus vehicles have avoided the eye of enforcement officers for some time, though the weight issues they have are more common than you might believe. To put this in to context, the average adult male weight is about 83kg (thirteen stone), the average adult female weight being about 70kg (eleven stone).
When designing a minibus, the required seating allowance for a registered vehicle is only 78kg for a driver and 61kg for passengers. Based on a nine seat minibus and an average weight of 75kg per person, you would need to allow at least 675kg for payload.
Based on a fifteen seat minibus on the same calculation, you would need at least 1,125kg of payload. If using a 3,500kg GVW rated minibus (available as nine seat and fifteen seat), the unladen weight of the vehicle would need to be less than 2852kg for nine people or under 2,375kg if fifteen seat.
Check the unladen weight figures on your typical Ford Transit 15 minibus and you’ll find it weighs at least 2,440kg. This may allow for the guide figures of 68kg for passengers, but put fourteen adults with hand baggage, rugby kit, or suitcases on board and you’ll quickly exceed your 3,500kg GVW threshold.
Overload your vehicle and you not only risk the safety of your passengers, but also potentially invalidate your insurance. Check your vehicle weight against the vehicle chassis plate and, if requiring an uprate, speak to us.
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