The Lemon Fool

I turn 70 soon and have received the application form to replace my tatty bit of pink paper for a photo card licence.

I am entitled to drive a car and motorcycle at the moment.

When it is renewed will both entitlements be on the new licence?

Paul

I renewed mine online back in December. And yes, my bike licence came through intact. I suppose that might not have been automatic if I'd needed to flag up any medical conditions?

Mind you, after nearly forty years out of the saddle (disc brakes? what are they then?), I wouldn't have felt inclined to climb back on unless it was for a refresher course.

I haven't checked whether all the minibus licences, etc, are present and correct. The last time I drove a long wheelbase 17 seater school bus was in 1977.

BJ

[Edit, have just looked. I'm legal for car, bike, moped, light van, towing, and something called fklnpq. (That'll be downhill speedway racing on ice, then.) But definitely no minibuses.]

Further research. A category L is an electric vehicle, although it hasn't been newly issued to anybody since 2001. (Electric cars are classified as standard cars.)

F is a tractor. But whatever happened to steam powered vehicles, road rollers and tracklaying vehicles? I think we should be told.

BJ

Paultry wrote:I turn 70 soon and have received the application form to replace my tatty bit of pink paper for a photo card licence.

I am entitled to drive a car and motorcycle at the moment.

When it is renewed will both entitlements be on the new licence?

Paul

I think you should be able to see your entitlements online even though you (presumably) don't have a photo licence card (yet).

When I renewed at 70, all previous entitlements were accepted, including motorcycle, the only losses were 7.5 ton lorry and 14 seater mini-bus. If you wish to keep those, I think you need a doctor's certificate..

The new licence arrived 3 days later, even in these dreadful times.

Thanks for the replies.

I asked because a few years ago at a party a chap told me his dad (60s mod) was unhappy that he had lost his motorcycle licence when he renewed at 70.

No details were forthcoming as to why this was the case.

I seemed to get celebrity status when I waved the tatty bit of pink paper about, almost no one believing it was indeed a valid licence.

Paultry wrote:I asked because a few years ago at a party a chap told me his dad (60s mod) was unhappy that he had lost his motorcycle licence when he renewed at 70.

I can only imagine a health reason, although I wouldn't/couldn't speculate on what that might be. Something else, apart from a lapse of taste of course? (I was a 60s rocker, so my opinion isn't worth asking.)

I seemed to get celebrity status when I waved the tatty bit of pink paper about, almost no one believing it was indeed a valid licence.

I once had to produce my paper licence for a rather officious French flic who had flagged my car down for a random roadside check out in the wilds of Herault. He was somewhat confused that it wasn't a card that he could read electronically, and just a little suspicious. But things lightened up a bit when my licence fell into four pieces in his hand. Merde, I said, then I realised I probably shouldn't have been so disrespectful? Fortunately he laughed uproariously, and we were soon finished and on our way.

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:have just looked. I'm legal for car, bike, moped, light van, towing, and something called fklnpq. (That'll be downhill speedway racing on ice, then.) But definitely no minibuses.]

Category P
You can drive 2-wheeled vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 45km/h (28mph) but not more than 50km/h (31mph).
Its engine size must not be more than 50cc if powered by an internal combustion engine.

Category Q
You can drive 2-wheeled and 3-wheeled vehicles without pedals with:
- an engine size not more than 50cc if powered by an internal combustion engine
- a maximum design speed of no more than 25km/h (15.5mph)
This category also includes trial e-scooters.


f Agricultural tractor
G Road roller
H Tracked vehicles
k Mowing machine or pedestrian-controlled vehicle
l Electrically-propelled vehicle
M Trolley vehicles
n Exempt from duty

https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

I drive (or rather did drive until current events put a stop to it) a minibus for our local senior citizens group. In order to carry on with this after I turned 70 I needed to take a medical to renew my minibus entitlement. The licence lasts three years, after that I will have to re-apply with a further medical.

My medical was carried out at the local bus company offices, I presume the same test as carried out by bus drivers. I was surprised at the perfunctory nature of the eye test, the doctor just held up a piece of A4 paper across the room with an eye test chart printed on it.