School minibus operator suspended and fleet cut after serious compliance failings
A North East independent school has had its public service vehicle operator’s licence suspended and curtailed following a public inquiry which identified significant maintenance and compliance shortcomings.
At the public inquiry in Leeds on 10 September 2026, Deputy Traffic Commissioner Gerallt Evans took action against St Martins Preparatory School Limited, which operates school minibuses from its site in Grimsby.
The restricted PSV operator’s licence has been reduced from two vehicles to one and suspended for 14 days from 25 September to 9 October 2026. The company has also been required to undertake an independent audit of its transport safety and compliance systems and appoint a clearly identified responsible person for the licence.
The inquiry heard that concerns first identified by enforcement authorities in 2024 were subsequently highlighted in an independent audit and later investigations by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Commissioner Evans found that the operator had failed to keep vehicles maintained in accordance with declared inspection schedules, failed to meet undertakings relating to vehicle maintenance records and drivers’ hours compliance, and had operated vehicles with wider licensing and regulatory shortcomings.
The commissioner found that directors had effectively delegated responsibility for compliance to staff who were not suitably qualified or equipped to manage operator licensing obligations. Although some corrective action had been taken, including training and the temporary withdrawal of vehicles from service, the commissioner concluded that the negative features of the case significantly outweighed the positives.
Commissioner Evans said “There was an almost complete lack of effective management control of the operator’s licence. The directors abdicated their responsibility for compliance to the school head and other local staff who were unqualified and ill-equipped for the task. The MoT failure in March 2025 involving a vehicle with a tyre cut to the cord raises considerable concern about road safety especially in a vehicle being used to carry schoolchildren. The operator has failed to respond with sufficient pace and effectiveness to the issues identified, and I consider the effect of the decision to take vehicles out of operation has been to avoid the risk of further compliance issues rather than address the causes.”
The Traffic Commissioners expect all operators, including schools operating minibuses, to have robust systems in place to ensure vehicle roadworthiness, effective maintenance arrangements and full compliance with drivers’ hours and operator licensing requirements. The safety of passengers, particularly children, depends on those standards being consistently met.
For full details of the decision, visit the Traffic Commissioner Regulatory Decisions page
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