Urban transport: Calling all bus drivers

Lahore Transport Company to set up a driving school for bus drivers.

LAHORE:

The Lahore Transport Company (LTC) will establish a professional driving school for drivers of buses on urban routes, The Express Tribune has learnt. The driving school is to be located at Badami Bagh, where the LTC owns 11.5 kanals.

The need for the school arose as transport companies were found short of professionally trained drivers. Although, some companies employ professionally trained drivers, most depend on drivers who have not been professionally trained.

The passengers of many local companies have complained about rash driving but the companies do not take any action due to the shortage of drivers.

LTC chairman Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan told The Tribune that bus companies are keen for a driving school. He said they had asked the National Logistic Cell (NLC) to be driving consultants as they were already operating five driving schools. He said the NLC had agreed to provide input to the project.

“Lahore is running out of professionally trained drivers. Many transport companies are working with inexperienced and poorly trained drivers.  All the transport companies appreciate this plan and are keen to invest in the school,” he added

First Bus Service general manager Masoodul Haq said LTC should have the authority to monitor drivers and control over issuance of driving licenses.

However, he wondered whether or not a transport company that was investing in the infrastructure could be fair to the drivers of another company.

He said the idea was that the NLC would be consultants on the project and the investing transport company would clear drivers for licences. He said a better method would be for the LTC to give driving tests and leave the licensing to the appropriate authority. He said it would also be fine if one company provides the training and the LTC monitors the training.

Hassaan countered Haq’s misgivings, saying that the school would be under the LTC’s control.

He added that Foton Bus Company had shown an interest in investing. He pointed out that the ‘investing company’ would only be investing in the infrastructure and all companies were free to call in experts from anywhere in Pakistan or abroad to help train LTC trainers. “After training, only these LTC trainers would be authorised to train the bus drivers and to approve them for driving licences.”

Atif Nazar who frequently travels by urban buses said that the move was for the better for the transport system. He said drivers were often rash especially as they were aware of the absence of a monitoring authority. He said proper training by international standards and monitoring of the drivers would solve the problem.

He said besides fine tickets, the real threat to drivers would be when their driving licences start getting suspended or withdrawn.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th,  2011.