Lothian Buses has partnered with Cycling Scotland to provide all its drivers with bespoke Practical Cycle Awareness training as part of the Driver CPC.
Over 1,700 drivers, managers and supervisors will take the full-day course in 2018. Two of Lothian’s training centre team are now qualified Cycling Instructors to lead the course, which includes a 90-minute cycling activity, on a route specifically planned to highlight issues facing cyclists in relation to other vehicles, particularly buses and HGV’s.
The company has also invested in a fleet of Raleigh Pioneer hybrid bikes, which will be maintained in-house, for use during the training.
Richard Hall, MD of Lothian, says: “Following feedback from previous CPC training courses we thought long and hard about how we could make the course more interactive and increase the level of learning for all our staff.
“Working in partnership with Cycling Scotland, we are proud to be the first bus operator in the UK to introduce this bespoke practical cycle awareness training.
“This fantastic opportunity will assist us all in learning more about sharing road space and gaining a better understanding of the difficulties faced by other road users daily across our operating area, as well as having the ability going forward to influence these groups through our own actions.”
Valentin Jeanjean, Cycling Scotland Development Officer, says: “More people are cycling in Edinburgh and this practical training, originally developed by Edinburgh Council, can help improve safety for all road users. We would encourage other bus and HGV fleet operators to provide this training to their drivers and contact us for details of the subsidised courses available.”
