Can an A3 license be upgraded to an A1?
3 Answers
To upgrade from an A3 to an A1 license, you must have held the A3 license for at least 5 years and have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points within those 5 years before applying for the A1 upgrade. According to the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses" and the "New Reform Regulations on Streamlining Administration, Delegating Power, Strengthening Regulation, and Improving Services," applicants for upgrading to a large passenger vehicle driving license must meet one of the following conditions: Having held a city bus or medium-sized bus driving license qualification for at least two years; Having held a large truck driving license qualification for at least three years; Having held a tractor driving license qualification for at least one year. In addition to meeting one of the above conditions, applicants must also have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the three most recent consecutive scoring cycles before applying. According to Article 17 of the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses," those who already hold a motor vehicle driving license and wish to apply for an additional driving license category must have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the current scoring cycle and the most recent scoring cycle before applying. To upgrade the license, applicants must visit the local vehicle management office to complete the motor vehicle license upgrade process and pass the required examinations. The content of Article 17 of the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses" is as follows: Those who already hold a motor vehicle driving license and wish to apply for an additional driving license category must have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the current scoring cycle and the most recent scoring cycle before applying. Applicants for upgrading to light trailer, medium-sized passenger vehicle, heavy trailer, or large passenger vehicle driving licenses must also meet the following requirements: Applicants for upgrading to a light trailer driving license must have held a small car or small automatic transmission car driving license qualification for at least one year; Applicants for upgrading to a medium-sized passenger vehicle driving license must have held a city bus, large truck, small car, small automatic transmission car, low-speed truck, or three-wheeled car driving license qualification for at least two years and have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the two most recent consecutive scoring cycles before applying; Applicants for upgrading to a heavy trailer driving license must have held a medium-sized passenger vehicle or large truck driving license qualification for at least two years, or a large passenger vehicle driving license qualification for at least one year, and have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the two most recent consecutive scoring cycles before applying; Applicants for upgrading to a large passenger vehicle driving license must have held a city bus or medium-sized passenger vehicle driving license qualification for at least two years, a large truck driving license qualification for at least three years, or a heavy trailer driving license qualification for at least one year, and have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the three most recent consecutive scoring cycles before applying. Full-time students undergoing driving vocational education who have already obtained a small car driving license qualification at school and have no record of accumulating 12 penalty points in the current scoring cycle and the most recent scoring cycle before applying may apply for upgrading to a large passenger vehicle or heavy trailer driving license. The following circumstances disqualify applicants from upgrading to an A1 license: According to Article 16 of the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses," the following circumstances disqualify applicants from applying for large passenger vehicle, tractor, city bus, medium-sized passenger vehicle, or large truck driving licenses: Being responsible for a traffic accident resulting in death with equal or greater liability; Driving under the influence of alcohol; Having a motor vehicle driving license revoked or rescinded within the past ten years. Conditions for upgrading to an A1 license: Height: At least 155 cm; Vision: Naked or corrected vision of at least 5.0 on the logarithmic visual acuity chart for both eyes; Color vision: No red-green color blindness; Hearing: Ability to distinguish the direction of sound sources with each ear at a distance of 50 cm from a tuning fork; Upper limbs: Both thumbs must be intact, and each hand must have at least three other fingers intact, with normal limb and finger movement; Lower limbs: Both lower limbs must be intact with normal movement function, and the length difference must not exceed 5 cm; Torso and neck: No movement dysfunction; Age: Between 22 and 60 years old.
Ever since I got my A3 driver's license, I've been wondering if I could upgrade to an A1 license—after all, driving a large bus is so cool! The answer is yes, but you have to follow the proper procedures. According to regulations, you need at least five years of experience with an A3 license, a clean driving record during that time, and you must be between 26 and 60 years old. Then, you can enroll in a driving school for the upgrade exam, which is similar to the initial driving test but with double the difficulty for subjects two and three. For example, the parking space for the reverse parking test is smaller, requiring precise control. It's recommended to practice driving smaller vehicles regularly to build skills and train with larger vehicles before the exam to get used to the handling. After upgrading, you'll be qualified to drive more routes, but the safety responsibility increases, so you must stay focused at all times while driving.
Someone asked me about upgrading from A3 to A1. It can be done. The key points are: having held an A3 license for at least five years, no record of drunk or drug driving, and being in good health. For the upgrade test, both theory and practical driving are examined, especially the difficulty of handling large vehicles—shifting gears and braking test hand-eye coordination. I heard from the instructor that many people fail because they don't adapt to the inertia of large vehicles. It's recommended to find a coach to guide you through a few practice sessions before the test. Spending some money and time is worth it—after upgrading, you'll have more options, such as long-distance transport or tourist buses, which offer higher income. But don't overlook safety training.
