Thanks both.
Paul it's a bit of a rare one but it's a t370, 12 seat, 135ps euro6.
Definitely don't need a D1 for my use but it will need plating at 3.5t which is fine because ULW is 2562kg so at 3.5t plated it's got 938kg for payload. Specks say 75kg for driver and 71kg for passengers which is 856kg so it's 82kg under even if i was to run it full.
In reality I use 9 of the seats and 7 are for children so it's never going to get anywhere near 3.5t in use. We just prefer having the space and choice of where to sit since it's a bit of a pain getting 9 people and a wheelchair in most smaller things and worse when two have difficulties on top.
It's my family car. I've used transits anywhere from 9 to 15 seat as such for over 12 years. I'm (and my insurers are) acutely aware of the license regulations in place - from the gov.uk site;
*******************************************************************
If the minibus is not for ‘hire or reward’
You might be able to drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats using your current car driving licence as long as there’s no payment from or on behalf of the passengers (it’s not for ‘hire or reward’).
Conditions you must meet
You can drive a minibus within the UK as long as the following conditions apply:
you’re 21 or older
you’ve had your driving licence for at least 2 years
you meet the ‘Group 2’ medical standards if you’re over 70 - check with your GP if you’re not sure you meet the standards
you’re driving on a voluntary basis and the minibus is used for social purposes by a non-commercial body
the maximum weight of the minibus is not more than 3.5 tonnes - or 4.25 tonnes including specialist equipment for disabled passengers, for example a wheelchair ramp
you’re not towing a trailer
******************************************************************
Technically I could fit a ramp in the back of a 410 and still be legal since I always carry at least one disabled passenger and the wheelchair.
But this one came along and it's exactly the spec and condition we wanted so while it will have a hoist/ramp at some stage, it's quicker to downplate so we can start using it in the meantime.
We've already gone for it now and it's in the process of downplating so the add is off but the ebay number was
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253527350279 if anyone wants to have a look.
I'd love to hear any opinions or information on it. It's not on etis from the reg plate.