Every day thousands of people are ferried around their communities via minibuses. They transport school children to field trips; they get care workers out to their facilities on time each morning; they allow charities to help vulnerable and disadvantaged people enjoy a more active in their local area.

In short, minibuses are fundamental to the fabric of day-to-day community life. And yet, the owners of these vehicles can face a struggle to access decent premiums because, in an increasingly automated insurance world, they are instantly identified as high-risk, given the huge variances of minibus use and the sheer volume of passengers that are required to use them. Understanding this market and their needs is vital in ensuring their specialist needs are met.

At ERS we’ve been actively involved in the minibus market for several decades;

Giving us a rich understanding of bespoke customer needs, the risk levels associated with different use cases and how to price for them in a way that works for everyone. We even have a dedicated minibus product for the carriage of non-fare paying passengers – perfect for everyone from schools, sports clubs and scouting groups through to charities and care providers.

There are all manner of complexities to ensuring these minibuses are roadworthy – the requirement for a specialist permit in the event that a vehicle has been funded by charitable donations, to name but one example. That’s why it pays for brokers to choose an insurer that knows the market inside-out and has the appetite for and commitment to supporting these organisations and their bespoke needs. Similarly, there are only a handful of insurers in the space with a Lloyds A-rating, a major reassurance factor when dealing with customers who simply cannot afford to see their insurer unable to pay out in the event of an emergency.

It’s great to see more brokers – both motor experts as well as community-based brokers with a broader specialism – entering the minibus market, and so we’ve recently taken steps to make our products more readily accessible, irrespective of whether you’ve worked with us before.

The fastest way to get a quote, wherever you are

Back in September we launched a dedicated online portal supporting of our specialist product range, with minibuses very much included. This allows brokers to get pricing info from us on-demand, giving them the confidence that they won’t be delivering any unexpected surprises to customers further down the line. The feedback from partners has been extremely positive; our goal is to make further improvements over the year ahead so that the portal, like the products it supports, is best in-class and gives brokers everything they require to have an initial conversation with their community customers. The minibus market is healthy, vibrant and full of incredible organisations doing vital work. We’re proud to be a part of it.

Our minibus policies don’t stop there

Did you know that, in addition to our product covering the carriage of non-fare paying passengers, we also cater for a variety of other specific minibus use cases:

Private hire – cover for minibuses used by taxi providers, tour operators, travel companies and many more besides
Social, Domestic and Pleasure – the market for minibuses used by families in their leisure time is larger than you might think
Business – a dedicated minibus product for all other professional use cases, from employee transportation in the building and construction sector, to recruitment consultants taking pools of candidates out to interviews