Tanzania, Second round of bus driver training begins with support from National Express

National Express Volunteers Ken Billingham and Ian Davis with the Bus Driver Trainings at NIT in Tanzania

Earlier this year, National Express sent two driver trainers to Tanzania to work with Transaid partner organisation the National Institute of Transport (NIT) and to kick-start the training of bus driver trainers. Following on from this initial support two more driver trainers visited the training centre in the capital of Dar es Salaam in August.

 

Driver Training Examiner, Ian Davies and Recruitment Officer, Ken Billingham, worked with a group of Tanzanian driver trainers at the NIT to build on their existing driving skills and share teaching techniques to enable them to become more competent bus driver trainers. This is part of an ongoing initiative to build the overall capacity of the NIT to become a centre of excellence renowned for quality bus driver training in the region.

 

In the first quarter of 2011, there were over 6,000 road crashes recorded in Tanzania, resulting in 829 fatalities. This equates to an average of 10 people killed needlessly every single day. Through the training of bus driver trainers, Transaid is working with the NIT to build up the skills of those operating passenger transport, so they can become safer and more efficient and less likely to put their own and others lives at risk.

 

Thanks to this second input from National Express, a total of six Tanzanian driver trainers received training, making a total of 12 bus driver trainers who have benefited from the sharing of UK best practice and expertise to date. This has also included several driver trainers from ‘zonal’ centres around the country, ensuring skills are shared across regions so more drivers can benefit.