Al Ghazal Transport, Abu Dhabi’s leading transportation company and a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH), has announced the launch of its in-house driver training centre based in Mussafah.

The centre offers a 35-day programme of theoretical and practical training to Al Ghazal drivers and employees.

The theoretical training comprises an induction course and lessons in UAE road, traffic regulations, customer service, grooming and hygiene.

The practical training on the other hand includes road familiarisation and defensive driving techniques. All new drivers are required to go through the 35-day programme.

The taxi drivers will also undergo a CERT (Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training) system training to familiarise them with the new taxi metre and the state-of-the-art tracking and dispatch device that was recently introduced by TransAD, said a company official.

“We go by our slogan ‘We are driven to serve’, so it is essential that our drivers know UAE’s arterial roads, the reason why road familiarization is an important part of the programme,” said Ghulam Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed, general manager of Al Ghazal Transport.

“In addition to major landmarks, we will train them to be familiar with street names and numbers, small establishments and community institutions such as schools and clinics and the back areas of Abu Dhabi,” Ahmed noted.

The centre will also conduct refresher courses for Al Ghazal’s existing drivers periodically.
“The new training centre has a new concept – to synergize our services with the development of the transportation sector, thus our training focus will not only be on our new employees, but also in enhancing the skills of our long-serving drivers,” he observed. 

He said Al Ghazal would provide immediate refresher courses for erring drivers which could last for 3 to 10 days, depending on the nature of the complaint.

On the importance of establishing an in-house training centre, Ahmed said the new training centre would help upgrade the customer services, complementing Abu Dhabi’s restructured taxi operations and for the need for a more sophisticated service.

"We have also upgraded our fleet recently in order to meet the growth of the transportation industry in the capital,” he added. 

The new training centre has appointed a team of eight qualified instructors who are certified in defensive driving proficiency by the Emirates Technical & Safety Development Centre (ETSDC), an internationally-recognized industry training institution located in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi. 

“We are also looking at hiring an English language trainer to improve our drivers’ spoken English capability,” Ahmed added.

Al Ghazal is one of the largest transportation solutions providers in the UAE with a combined fleet strength of more than 2,500 vehicles.

The company provides special limousine services for VIPs, airport transfers, taxi operations, intercity bus services and car rentals. Its team of professionals works round-the-clock to ensure a pleasant experience for its discerning customers.-TradeArabia News Service