Alabama Church Bus Insurance
After your congregation buys a bus, you’ll need to get a custom Alabama church bus insurance policy. Every vehicle must have insurance before it hits the road. But church bus insurance is different than regular car insurance. If your ministry owns a church van or bus, it’s like a mix of personal and commercial auto insurance. That’s why you should find an agency who can offer you the best policy. If you’ve just purchased a bus for your church, where do you start?
Insuring a church bus isn’t like insuring a normal car. You can’t just get the legal minimums. You’ll need to cover the bus or van, the driver, & the passengers.
Liability vs. Medical – Liability insurance will cover vehicles or drivers who are injured by the church bus or van. Medical insurance covers the inside of the vehicle; the driver and passengers.
Collision vs. Comprehensive – Collision insurance covers the church bus when there is an accident on the road. Comprehensive insurance covers the bus when other damages occur; for example, a tree falls on the bus, hail storm, fire, theft, or hitting a deer.
Hired & Non-Hired Autos is coverage available as part of Alabama Church Liability Insurance. Hired auto coverage will cover your employees when they’re on a business trip, hired a taxi, or borrowed a car for business. Non-hired auto coverage will cover the employees if they’re using their own car for business purposes (like getting the mail, picking up a customer, or getting lunch for the boss) and get hurt.
Choosing a Church Bus Driver
An important part of Alabama church bus insurance is providing safe transportation. The church bus or van may take youth groups to retreats or give rides to those who cannot drive to the church. To keep your passengers safe, choose primary drivers for each vehicle. Make sure they are the ones to drive, not others. Here are some requirements you should have while finding drivers.
Check the driver’s license. Alabama requires church bus drivers to have a commercial driver license (CDL). Even large vans require a CDL. CDL’s are required for drivers who drive vehicles weighing 26,000 pounds or could carry more than 16 passengers.
The driver’s age should be between the ages of 21-65. Younger drivers lack experience. Older drivers may have slower reaction times. Whatever the age, make sure they have adequate experience. They should be trained to drive large vehicles like a church bus.
Check the driver’s records. Make sure there are no violations or citations. Your church may be labeled “negligent” for letting a driver with a poor record drive your bus. You may also want to do a criminal background check on the driver.
You may want to consider having an assistant driver. This will prevent the driver from being alone with a child or student while being picked up or dropped off. It provides accountability. A bus camera might also be a good investment for this reason.
Learn more about Alabama Church Insurance!