How is it that some Minibus companies both hire their COIF certificated Minibus as a PCV complete with driver under an operators licence, and then next day hire the same vehicle out as a self drive minibus that anyone old enough can drive on a car license?

Wouldn't there be a conflict of use or a separate insurance needed for such hires.? That would be Difficult as you cannot insure the same vehicle twice at the same time!

The general rule is "once a psv always a psv" until it is withdrawn from service i.e. sold for private use/used as a driver trainer etc.

In my view, what they are doing is illegal. Who is to tell whether the driver has the correct pcv entitlement or not? Would he know how or when to sue a tacho? Would the passengers be paying fares? I'll ask the question of the psv trade body and see what they say.

Meanwhile, I'd suggest you get the hard evidence and pass it to enquiries@vosa.gov.uk . They don't like such operations and the minibus operator could find himself on a Public Inquiry. No operator worth his salt would hire a psv to a non-psv driver. Insurance wouldn't cover it either.

Just by taking the operators disc out of the window does not make it cease to be a psv. If it has a Certificate of Initial Fitness (COIF) and is taxed as a bus, then it is a psv! Change the tax to private, and it ceases to be a bus but then needs to be tested under the class 5 test regime.

edited to add: thinking about it, VOSA would take a very dim view of a registered psv carrying a load of passengers with no psv driver and no O licence on display.