Driver's training BSO bus (Dutch market only)
Learn to drive the BSO bus safely and responsibly in traffic. the covenant as well as the insurer require all drivers to attend driver’s training. These trainings are provided by Stichting Veilig door het Verkeer, the official trainer for BSO bus driver’s training.
Watch the video below for information about the training and process for booking.
The BSO bus does not require a driver’s license B, but each driver must hold a BSO bus certificate.
The driver's training
Part 1: Online theory
Online theory covers laws and regulations, insurance and the covenant. Also covered are traffic rules, signs, viewing behavior and safe routes.
At the end of the lessons, you will take an exam. Have you answered 80% of the questions correctly? Then you may start the practical training.
Part 2: Practical training
In the two-hour hands-on training, a student will be introduced to driving the BSO bus and become familiar with the vehicle. You will learn, among other things:
- The operation and control of the BSO bus
- Accelerating, braking and dosing
- Control: steering and direction
- Security protocol
- Determining a safe route (from BSO to school)
- Hazard recognition & traffic behavior
- Learning to recognize and avoid dangerous situations
The practical training is led by a driving instructor from a driving school. These trainers are WRM-certified (licensed to teach driving lessons).
The BSO bus training consists of half an hour of online theory and about two hours of hands-on training per two trainees.
Part 3: Certificate
After the practical training, the trainer judges whether you have sufficient traffic insight to responsibly transport children with the BSO bus. In short, whether you pass or fail the training.
Once you have passed all sections you will receive your certificate in the mail within one business day. This is personalized and is your ‘driver’s license’ for the BSO bus.
Method of booking
- An Extracurricular Day Care or Child Care Provider reports the driver’s training to the foundation through info@veiligdoorhetverkeer.nl
Please include the following information in the email:
- At what location should the training take place
- How many employees do you want to train?
- Preferences for days, parts of the day and/or dates?
- Is there already a BSO bus on site?
- The foundation sends the link of the e-learning to the BSO. Students can register and take the e-learning.
- Meanwhile, the foundation seeks an affiliated driving school for the BSO. Trainer and BSO are then in direct contact about a date and time for the practical training at the BSO location.
- When the practical training is completed, the trainer completes a digital form with the result (pass or fail).
- Upon passing, the foundation creates a certificate and mails it directly to the student.
- After receiving the certificate, a student may drive the BSO bus.
- Driving school sends invoice to child care center.
For more information on BSO bus driver’s courses and current prices, visit Veiligdoorhetverkeer.nl.
The content of the training has been approved in writing by the insurer of the BSO bus (Steijnborg Assurantiën and Nationale Nederlanden). The covenant parties (the Branch Organizations in Child Care, Child Care Guarantee Fund and the Ministry of IenW) have also been informed.
Policy rule on special mopeds and the covenant
Not all vehicles are allowed on the road. To ensure that all vehicles on public roads are safe, they must meet certain technical admission requirements. In 2020, the BSO bus was admitted to public roads (in the Netherlands) by the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management in the vehicle category ‘special moped’.
Within this category, a vehicle may have 8 seats or passengers. In order to be able to transport 10 children, a covenant was concluded between the Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment and sector organizations for child care.
The agreements apply to ALL BSO bus drivers, not just members of industry associations.
Covenant agreements
10 children may be transported on the BSO bus provided that:
- Drivers are at least 18 years old.
- Drivers have successfully completed driver’s training and show proof of this.
- Each BSO location makes a record of the use of safe routes where maximum use is made of:
- bike lanes separated from high-speed roads
- roads with a speed limit of 30 km/h
- intersections equipped with traffic control devices (e.g., traffic lights)
from January 1, 2026: 8 seats instead of 10
On December 3, 2025, we received notice from the Ministry of IenW about an upcoming change in regulations that the BSO bus complies with.
“The Minister has agreed to bring into procedure an amendment to the regulations (the Vehicle Regulations). This amendment provides that as of Jan. 1, 2026, all BSO buses, including those currently already in use, may have a maximum of 8 seats.”
How to implement this in practice is something we are now researching. The latest news on this can be found in the news section.
License plate requirement from July 1, 2025
Please note that from July 1, 2025, special mopeds, including the BSO bus, will face a registration requirement. From then on, owners of existing BSO buses will have 12 months to apply for this license plate with RDW. We are in consultation with RDW to make the process of license plate registration and requirements as efficient as possible for all parties involved.
