Minibus sales have been taking something of a battering in recent months. That could help explain why Ford has introduced a special programme designed to boost its registrations. Since late January state-owned educational facilities such as schools and colleges have qualified for a discount of up to 14 per cent if they buy a Transit minibus, What Van?’s current Minibus of the Year.

Ford’s people-shifter is up for grabs as a nine-, a 12-, a 15- or a 17-seater, and the largest model in the line-up can be ordered with a high roof rather than a medium-height one. Front-wheel drive, the nine- and the 12-seater are powered by a 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel with either 110hp or 140hp on tap. Go for the latter option and you get a six-speed manual gearbox. The other two models are rear-wheel drive and come with the 2.4-litre Duratorq TDCi at 100hp, 115hp or 140hp. Only the two most powerful variants get the six-speeder.

The specification levels are what one would hope for in a modern minibus. For your money you get ABS plus an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) that includes a gizmo that stops you from rolling backwards if you’re trying to move away on a steep hill.

Safety First

All models comply with M1 passenger car safety standards. Each seat is fitted with a lap-and-diagonal belt plus a height-adjustable headrest and the 12-, 15- and 17-seaters are supplied with what is known as a Schedule 6 pack. It includes a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit plus a grab handle and an illuminated anti-slip step to make entry through the sliding side passenger door easier. Decals are fitted that tell you where the emergency exit is, how many people the vehicle can carry and whereabouts the first aid kit is stowed.

It’s good to see that all Transit minibuses are equipped with twin batteries. That means you should always be able to start the vehicle even if you’ve been using a lot of power to run various devices while you’re stationary with the engine switched off.

Wheelchair Access

One of those devices might be a wheelchair lift if the minibus has been converted to accessible specifications. Several manufacturers produce them, including Ratcliff Palfinger and PLS .

It’s worth noting that the widespread use of heavy electric wheelchairs means that such lifts now typically have a capacity of 350kg; and there’s some suggestion that even more capacity may be required in future. “I think that 350kg is still sufficient for the vast majority of applications though,” says Ratcliff Palfinger passenger sales manager, Beverley Jackson.

A manual wheelchair ramp can of course be deployed if there’s sufficient space. Leading manufacturers include Compak. Tipping the scales at no more than 30kg, its manual ramps incorporate an ergonomically-designed lifting handle and can be extended in a matter of seconds says the manufacturer.

Wheelchair access is something required by the West Midlands Ring & Ride Service. It provides free door-to-door transport for people of any age who find it difficult to use the local bus. In addition it takes children with disabilities to school and brings them back. It’s just taken delivery of seven Transits — the first to join the fleet — complete with wheelchair lifts and accommodation for up to four wheelchair users each.

Ford is of course by no means the only manufacturer competing in the minibus market. It is, however, one of the few that produces them on its own assembly line — the range also includes the upmarket eight- and nine-seater Tourneos — as opposed to using a converter.

Runners & Riders

Its rivals include struggling LDV. Historically a major player in the UK minibus market, its line-up includes 10-, 12-, 15- and 17-seater minibuses along with an accessible model plus a bright yellow one designed specifically for school work.

Other contenders include Renault and Mercedes-Benz. The latter manufacturer plans to add a factory-built Sprinter nine-seater to its line-up this year. Various specification levels will be available with an entry-level trim aimed at the fleet market.

Also active are Citroën, Vauxhall and Irisbus — Iveco’s minibus, bus and coach stablemate — and conversions are available on models such as Peugeot’s Boxer, Volkswagen’s Crafter and Fiat’s Ducato.

Not a major success in the UK, Irisbus nonetheless manages to sell a respectable number of Daily-based minibuses on this side of the Channel. Last year’s Euro Bus Expo show at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre saw it display a new range.

The line-up on the stand included an entry-level 3,300mm wheelbase 15-seater 35S14 aimed at the fleet market. Other vehicles on show included a 17-seater 49C15 complete with a Ratcliff Palfinger passenger lift.

Citroën’s Relay won our Highly Commended accolade in What Van?’s Minibus of the Year stakes. Marketed as a 12-, a 15-, or a 17-seater, and in wheelchair-accessible guise, it’s a good example of a minibus conversion and forms part of Citroën’s Ready to Run line-up. The conversion work is carried out by Advanced Vehicle Builders of Clay Cross, Derbyshire.

Fitted with ABS, but not ESP, the Relay people-shifter is built to M1 standards. Options include a reversing alarm and an access step.

Steps

Manual or power-operated access steps are regularly fitted to minibuses to make it easier for elderly passengers to board and exit. AVS is the best-known UK manufacturer and reports that more and more customers are asking for such steps to be made wider. While a 600mm width is still the choice of many buyers, its standard range now encompasses widths of from 450mm to 1,200mm.

Vauxhall is another manufacturer that promotes purpose-built accessible minibuses alongside a standard range that includes a 12-seater Vivaro and a 15-, 16- or 17-seater Movano among other models. Vivaro and Movano are converted to accessible specifications by Goole, East Yorkshire-based, Oughtred and Harrison (Facilities).