A HUDDERSFIELD day nursery says a clause in minibus licensing is hitting its business.
Inspectors from the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency have forced Bella Bambinos in Netheroyd Hill Road, Fixby, to remove eight seats from each of its two 17-seater minibuses.
The minibuses are used daily by five members of staff to pick children up from school or from home when out-of-school clubs are held during the holidays.
Until recently, staff did not know that a clause in minibus licensing meant they were not entitled to drive the vehicles.
To drive a minibus of up to 17 seats you need to be 21 or over, with two years' driving experience.
But a clause states that if you are driving a bus with more than nine seats for hire or financial reward you must have passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) entitlement.
This requires the driver to have advanced medical and driving tests.
Dawn O'Kane, manager of Bella Bambino, said staff had not thought they were using the vehicles for hire and reward and believed they were entitled to drive.
But inspectors carrying out a random check on the nursery's buses disagreed and ordered the amount of seats in each bus to be reduced to nine - eight pass- engers and the driver.
Mrs O'Kane added: "We took the seats out like they asked. But to put someone through their PCV costs about £900. We can't afford to send five people on it.
"It was quite a shock to us all. We've never had a problem like it in the six years we have been open. We are just trying to do the best we can. I'm sure there are similar places affected."
Mrs O'Kane said having fewer seats meant staff making more trips.
She said: "It is not a health and safety issue. If it was we would have no problem with it.
"Our argument was that some of our children walk to nursery and we pick others up at no extra charge. We do not get a reward. It's a service we provide for parents, who are outraged."
