Many charities rely on the versatility a minibus can provide in allowing them to take large numbers of passengers on journeys that may not have been easily achieved by using public transport.

Good minibus insurance providers offer charity minibus insurance for non-profit making organisations to keep their vehicle running costs to a minimum.

A Section 19 or Section 22 permit will be required to prove to the insurance provider that the minibus is being used for charitable and non-profit activities.

Section 19 permits can be applied for by charities and volunteer groups whose activities are seen to be beneficial to a community. Profit making minibus operators will need a PCV/PSV licence.

Minibus drivers with a Section 19 permit can either be a volunteer or be paid. The permit also allows a small charge to be made to cover the vehicles operating costs.

A Section 22 permit can be applied for if the minibus is being used as a non-profit bus service. For this permit the driver must be an unpaid volunteer.

There are three types of minibus insurance available: Comprehensive, Third Party Fire and Theft, and Third Party Only.

Third Party is the minimum level of insurance cover as required by law. It will cover liability for death or injury to third parties, liability for damage to other people's property and legal costs in connection to claims against your policy.

With Fire and Theft the minibus is covered for damage when stolen or by fire.

Comprehensive is the highest level of minibus insurance and will cover most of the possible risks. These may include providing medical expenses after an accident, replacing personal effects lost after a theft or accident, and insuring against damage to the minibus's windows and windscreen.

Although it is the most expensive, Comprehensive is often the popular choice for charity minibus insurance. It is always better to be 'safe than sorry', especially as there is the extra responsibility of transporting passengers. Comprehensive insurance covers most risks and a specialist insurance provider will tailor the policy to your organisation's specific needs.

Other benefits that the charity minibus insurance should include are:

1) 24 hour/365 days freephone helpline.

2) Accident recovery facilities.

3) UK administration / call centres.

4) Optional breakdown and recovery assistance.

5) Optional uninsured loss recovery which includes cover for an appointed lawyer, legal costs up to £100,000 and vehicle hire costs if part of the claim agreed.

6) Instalment facilities.

7) Prompt documentation turnaround.

A charity minibus insurance policy is normally valid for 12 months unless a shorter or longer period is negotiated with the provider. If for any reason you change your mind the policy can be cancelled 14 days after the documentation is received.

The benefit of using specialist insurance providers is that they will understand your specific needs. In most cases alterations can be made to your policy while it's in operation as long as you inform the provider of the change in circumstance at the earliest possible date.

If a claim does have to be made the minibus insurance provider will have an incident manager on hand to offer help and advice. As the minibus is liable to be used by a number of different drivers keep a copy of the policy in the vehicle in case it is required.

A minibus operator must have insurance by law. But with charity minibus insurance your organisation will benefit from lowest price available without leaving it vulnerable to the risk of an unexpected cost after an accident.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_S_Todman

When comparing insurance prices online, sometimes the cheapest car insurance is not always the best. You might not look past the dollar figure, and only see that you can be saving x-amount on your cover. But that's not all there is to comparing quotes online - and you should make sure you look beyond the final price and see what you're really getting. On the other hand, you can't outright dismiss a quote that might be a little higher than any other car insurance policies. You might discover it's actually a better deal than a cheaper quote, simply because of what's included in the car insurance plan.

So, what to do? Do you shun comparison websites altogether? Or do you ignore common sense and pick the cheapest car insurance quote from the first website you find?

The answer lies somewhere in between. Sure, you can go to one extreme or the other, but as always, you need to follow a few simple rules.

Online comparison site research

The first is to research - research the comparison website you plan on using for your quote comparisons. How many insurance companies do they source their quotes from? What factors do they include in their quotes? And is the figure the final quote?

If they only source their quotes from a few unheard-of insurance companies, maybe you should look elsewhere. You need a wide range of companies, with a mixture of well-known names and maybe one or two newer offerings. Remember you can always follow up the online quote with a quote from the actual company - online or on the phone.

Compare insurance apples with apples

And their quotes should be for the same type of cover (which might prove difficult). You can't compare Fire and Theft Insurance with Third Party. You need to be able to compare apples with apples.

What about added extras

Do they include courtesy cars? If so, in the event of what kind of incident? Theft only? Or damage from a car accident or other incidents? If the most expensive quote is from an insurance company that offers you a courtesy car no matter what has happened to your own car, then that might actually be a better choice than a cheaper quote with no courtesy car option.

Did you say you wanted hidden costs sir?

Finally, is the quote given for you to compare the final quote, or are there other factors to be taken into account? Keep an eye out for any hidden costs. For example, if the quote is set at a certain amount but then you need to work in an excess, and the fact that your age group incurs a higher premium, then it might not be as cheap as you first thought.

Cheap car insurance is easy to find, with some research and keeping in mind a few simple facts. Don't get suckered into thinking cheap is best, or that websites which compare quotes are the be all and end all.

Good luck and happy shopping !

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Billy_Young