Transport operators have extensive information on their vehicles. What is harder to come by is information on their drivers’ skills profile. Internationally recognised assessments can fill the gap.
Bus and coach drivers are asked to do much more than just drive. They have a wide range of responsibilities and are key to ensuring safe, secure, comfortable and efficient transport.
While skills such as defensive driving and adjusting to different road conditions are essential, bus and coach drivers also have to ensure that passengers are comfortable, handle requests, and respond to on-board and traffic emergencies. Other skills include observing passengers when approaching and leaving stops and assisting people with disabilities.
These non-driving skills often account for more than the driving itself when it comes to service quality and efficiency. But they’re not captured by any on-board monitoring systems.
Driver assessment
The IRU RoadMasters Skills Profile Assessment for Passenger Transport provides a comprehensive analysis to evaluate drivers’ skills profile.
The assessment, tailored to people mobility, is built around four key areas: customer service, safe vehicle operation, passenger emergencies, and vehicle emergencies.
Learn More: Passenger Skills Profile Assessment
Two parts of the assessment, “customer service” and “passenger emergencies”, analyse how drivers manage different circumstances related to passenger inquiries and deal with unexpected situations such as emergencies.
The other two parts of the assessment, “vehicle operation” and “road emergencies”, examine whether drivers can drive safely and comfortably. They also assess how drivers adjust to different driving conditions, conduct proper safety checks, and identify and react to critical failures.
Talent management
The information obtained through the assessment is compiled in digital dashboards to help companies identify key risks at the company, business unit or driver level – and implement targeted actions and training in response.
As part of their talent management strategy, leading companies rely on evidence-based information to address performance gaps with targeted actions and recognise the professional excellence of their workforce, which significantly improves driver motivation and retention.
In addition to passenger transport, IRU RoadMasters provides skills profiling for goods transport, hydrocarbon transport and eco-driving.