Development and roll-out of BTEC training standard for all London bus drivers and service controllers

Organization

- Organization/Company -
Transport for London - London Buses
- City -
London
- Country -
United Kingdom

Goals

To achieve higher and more consistent training standards for bus operating staff across London to improve service reliability and customer service.

Context

Part of a wider package of positive actions taken to address labour issues, linked to the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. The target groups (drivers and service controllers) are employed by the range of bus operating companies that provide bus services under contract to Transport for London (TfL). TfL has worked with these operators to develop two new vocational qualifications, agree roll-out targets and timescales and has jointly funded the training. Training deliver is by the bus operators (or their agents).

Target group

All London bus drivers and service controllers.

Period of innovative practice application

Length: Three years (each individual course takes approximately 50 hours)
From: January 2003
To: December 2005

Content

The BTEC award looks at all aspects of bus driving. The qualification comprises of the following five units/ learning outcomes:

Describe the bus industry and own company structure
Explain the benefits of training and qualifications for drivers
Explain the importance of meeting expectations

Describe how to operate London bus ‘on-vehicle’ systems in accordance with accepted procedures
Describe the effective operation of a bus service
Demonstrate maintenance and safety checks that need to be carried out on vehicles

Describe the driver role in relation to health and safety
Describe the appropriate action to be taken in response to accidents and incidents
Describe the implications of accidents

Demonstrate the principles of good driving practice (drivers will be formally assessed by a Driving Standards Agency Approved Assessor)
Identify risks in relation to bus driving
Apply appropriate driving techniques in a variety of driving situations

Explain how customer needs and expectations can be met
Demonstrate effective communication skills
Demonstrate effective disability equality awareness
Describe effective skills for working with others

Innovation

The promotion by the public transport authority (TfL), as a consequence of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, of higher and more consistent training standards at the private sector bus operating companies.

Results

TfL continuously monitors driving and customer service standards through separate Driver Quality Monitoring (DQM) and Mystery Traveller Survey (MTS) covert monitoring programmes. Against the background of a significant increase in the number of bus drivers in London, the quality of driving as measured by DQM, has shown a steady improvement since the network expansion in 2003. MTS data shows some localised improvements in certain areas, such as disability awareness and pulling into kerbs. This monitoring work is in the early stages and will continue.

Points of strength

Transferability to other public/ private sector partnership models.

Points of weakness

Funding requirementThe organization's internal actors involved in the "innovative practice"

Managing Director of TfL – London Buses – senior level support and promotion of initiative
London Buses Performance Manager – Project initiation and leadership
London Buses Training Projects Manager – day to day project management

Organizations, institutions, authorities involved in the application of the "innovative practices"

Bus operator Managing Directors – as London Buses MD above
Bus operator Training Managers – day to day project management/ delivery
Bus operator Trainers – training delivery
Third party training providers – training delivery (under contract to bus operators)
Bus operators frontline staff – trainees

Type of "innovative practice"

	Political
	Organizational
	Technical

Field of application

	Recruiting and integration policies within the company
	Skill and career management procedures
	Training program content, practices and processes associated with the evolutions observed in the occupation
	Relations with national/regional policies
	Relations with Collective Agreement
	Other

How the "innovative practice" can be transfered?

Applicable in any situation where services are contracted by the public sector as part of a wider transport strategy.

Is there a specific handbook for the dissemination?

	Yes
	No

If affirmative, is the Handbook available?

	Yes
	No

Notes

TfL – In 2004/05 London Buses was awarded local authority ‘Beacon Status’ by Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in recognition of the improvements made to the bus network. The BTEC initiative formed part of the successful bid that led to the award of Beacon status.