Training professional bus drivers for Auckland

21 June 2012

Training professional bus drivers for Auckland

The quality of bus driving in Auckland is set to go up a notch.

A national qualification in urban bus driving is available in Auckland for the first time, delivered by North Island polytechnic, the Universal College of Learning (UCOL).

UCOL is the only provider in New Zealand to offer the qualification which is available in Auckland in partnership with NZ Bus and other Auckland bus companies.

UCOL’s Executive Dean of Trades and Technology Kelly Gay says bus companies report that they get hundreds of applications for vacancies. “Training and a nationally recognised qualification will give applicants a clear advantage,” he says.

Kelly says the time is right to introduce the qualification – the National Certificate in Passenger Service (Urban Bus Driver). “The Auckland City Council is encouraging more use of public transport as a green way to travel and bus passenger numbers have increased. The Auckland public needs to trust and have confidence in those who drive the buses – professional training provides that assurance, by training new and existing drivers in safe and more efficient driving.

“As well as benefitting bus users, this training also produces proven savings for the bus companies, in efficiencies. Most have only a limited capacity to provide training themselves,” he says. Kelly notes that NZ Bus is acquiring 198 new state-of-the-art European designed New Zealand assembled ADL buses. “Their operation will benefit from professionally trained drivers.”

The new UCOL bus driving qualification also has support from other NZ Bus operators in the Auckland area, including Metro Link, Waka Pacific, Go West, Northstar, and Tranzit New Zealand.

Kelly says the partnerships between UCOL and Auckland bus companies is also a fit with the Government’s recent approval of a new framework to improve the delivery of public transport through collaborative planning and investment.

The Auckland bus driver training starts in July. It is a 26 week programme, with 18 weeks of training at the UCOL centre in South Auckland and eight weeks spent on the job with an Auckland bus company.

Driving bus driver training

Alistair McGregor will lead UCOL’s Bus Driving programme in Auckland. Alistair has had a long and varied career in Auckland and the United Kingdom – all of it involving driving.

He owns and manages his own driving school, Counties Driving School Ltd, servicing the Franklin district, covering Waiuku. He also provides contract driver training to the New Zealand Defence Force and coaching to the Department of Corrections for inmates in transition towards release.

He has run contract commercial road user courses for NZ Bus in Auckland and has worked in Operations at Auckland Airport, responsible for emergency service response units. He has also worked as a qualified paramedic and driver trainer with the St John Ambulance Service.

In Britain, he was with the Surrey Ambulance Service and 210 Squadron of the Royal Corps of Transport, achieving a senior rank. He is a member of the NZ Institute of Driver Education and National Secretary of the NZ Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Alistair says professional skills are particularly important for bus drivers in Auckland. “It’s not an easy task, especially in rush hours. They can carry around 500 people a day and all of those travellers need to have confidence in their driver. It’s a big responsibility,” he says.

“With high demand and challenging conditions, Auckland deserves the best bus drivers New Zealand can produce.”

For more information go www.ucol.ac.nz or call 0800 468265.

ENDS

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