Volvo Buses, a Swedish manufacturer of buses and coaches, together with its partners from the transport industry, is embarking on an initiative to significantly improve driver skills.

Volvo is helping authorities and operators to initiate a series of safety training courses for drivers and their trainers with the vision to reduce road accidents, improve fuel efficiency and reduce environmental impact for businesses across the Middle East and Africa.

Volvo Buses is working closely with operators and authorities across Egypt, UAE, Tunisia and Morocco, helping them to launch a series of refresher driver training programs in local languages for drivers in the region.  The company aims to develop local capabilities both in terms of local expertise and creating the course content to deliver training programs in each market.  

The course covers topics about the importance of good behaviour, product knowledge, safety on the road and efficient driving skills. It also provides hands-on know-how about how to use the bus features correctly, daily checks, preventive maintenance, safety, fuel efficient driving operations and do’s & don’ts. These practical Refresher Driver training courses will ultimately help drivers improve their behaviour and contribute to achieving Volvo’s goal of zero accidents with Volvo Group products.

By training drivers to take a more cautious approach on the roads, it is expected not only that safety and passenger comfort will be improved but so too will fuel efficiency and emissions. After a recent training course conducted for a Volvo Bus customer in Tunisia, drivers increased their fuel efficiency by 8 per cent, thereby lowering costs for the operator and also contributing to improving local air quality and lowering carbon dioxide emissions.

Steve Hedouin, vice president, MEAC (Middle East-Africa-CIS) Volvo Bus Corporation, said: “The human factor plays a decisive role in nine out of ten road accidents. It is therefore paramount that drivers know the risks on the roads. We, at Volvo Buses, intend to partner with key stakeholders and focus on our drivers to improve their driving and behavioural skills, and help them make the right decisions, with the right attitude, to prevent accidents from occurring. Our driver safety courses can also impact businesses financially as skilled drivers improve fuel efficiency and vehicle uptime.”

“Every day, millions of people across the region rely on our buses, and our job is to bring them safely to their destination. Safety always comes first at Volvo Buses, it is a core value and part of our soul, so our vision is clear: zero accidents with Volvo Group products. In 1927, Volvo’s founders stated that ’Safety is and must be the basic principle in all design work’. Today, almost 90 years later, we’re still leading the way with a range of pioneering safety innovations that are making their way throughout the vehicle industry,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service