What types of vehicles can be driven with an A1 driver's license?
2 Answers
A1 license allows driving large passenger vehicles (passenger vehicles with a length exceeding 6 meters or designed to carry more than 19 passengers). Requirements for upgrading to an A1 license: Must have held a B1 or B2 license for at least five years, with no record of full penalty points in the last three consecutive scoring cycles prior to application; or must have held an A2 license for at least two years, with no record of full penalty points in the last scoring cycle prior to application. Other vehicle types that can be driven with an A1 license include: A3 (city buses), B1 (medium-sized passenger vehicles), B2 (large trucks), C1 (small cars), C2 (small automatic transmission cars), C3 (low-speed trucks), C4 (three-wheeled vehicles), M (wheeled self-propelled machinery). Only an A2 license permits driving full trailers and semi-trailers, which an A1 license does not cover.
I've been driving large buses for over 20 years. The A1 driver's license covers many vehicle types, mainly large buses - those over 6 meters long that can carry more than 20 passengers, like tour coaches or transit buses which are my daily work. It also allows driving city buses (those double-deckers are quite fun) and medium-sized buses like school buses with 11+ seats. Even small passenger cars are no problem - driving family sedans is a piece of cake. When getting the A1 license, you must master all these - taking turns and parking large vehicles requires patience, safety first, especially during night driving. Those interested in this profession should really get this license - with accumulated experience, your driving becomes much steadier.
