Can an A3 driver's license be upgraded to an A1?
3 Answers
An A3 driver's license can be upgraded to an A1, provided that the driver already holds an A3, B1, or B2 license and meets certain conditions. The A1 license is a large bus driver's license, which also allows the holder to drive vehicles covered by A3, B1, and B2 licenses. Therefore, the A1 license covers the widest range of vehicle types and can only be obtained through upgrading. The following conditions must be met to upgrade to an A1 license: the driver must have held the A3 license for at least 5 years, and must not have accumulated 12 or more penalty points in the current scoring cycle or in any of the previous 5 consecutive scoring cycles before applying for the upgrade.
I've been driving city buses for over a decade and recently upgraded my A3 license to A1. Since the A3 license is specifically for urban buses, upgrading to A1 to drive coaches is entirely possible, but it involves several hurdles. First, you must be at least 22 years old, have held the A3 license for at least two years, not have had all 12 points deducted within five years, and pass a medical exam before you can apply. The test consists of three parts: the first part (Theory Test) covers traffic regulations with a much more challenging question bank than regular driver's licenses; the second part (Practical Test 2) requires maneuvering a 13-meter-long coach through tasks like reverse parking and hill starts; the third part (Practical Test 3) involves a 100-kilometer real-road driving test. It took me three months of practice to pass, but now I earn an extra 3,000 yuan a month driving intercity coaches. My advice is to train at a reputable driving school—don’t cut corners to save money.
As a dispatcher for a passenger transport company, I handle driver license upgrade applications daily. While upgrading from A3 to A1 is technically allowed by policy, there are nuances in actual implementation. The key requirement is having a clean driving record with no major accidents for five years - this trips up many drivers. Last year, our fleet's veteran driver Lao Zhang got stuck because of a speeding ticket exceeding 50% from three years ago. The upgrade process is transparent: enroll at a driving school - submit three-year accident-free certification - complete training - schedule exams. I recommend checking personal violation records in advance. Training costs around 10,000 yuan. Post-certification prospects are good, with tourism companies and airport shuttle services actively seeking A1 drivers - monthly earnings of 7,000-8,000 yuan are quite common.
