Arriva London has appointed training company HGVC to progress 27 new bus engineers through the necessary steps to obtain their category D driving licence. The process will take 14 weeks.
HGVC says that while Arriva London trains new bus drivers in-house, including conducting tests via a delegated driving examiner, it cannot to do the same for engineers. HGVC will thus carry out all necessary work, including arranging medical examinations, theory testing, practical training and tests. It will also manage the process from start to finish, having placed a bus and trainer with Arriva London.
Says HGVC CEO James Clifford: “Arriva London is a major bus operator across the capital, transporting hundreds of thousands of passengers daily. When buses break down, it relies on its engineers to drive them back to the depot for maintenance.
“With our vehicle and trainer exclusive for Arriva London’s engineers, we are confident that we can help the firm keep its buses on the road and its passengers on the move. Our bespoke service for Arriva London highlights how we tailor our approach to ensure that we make large-scale licence acquisition programmes quick and seamless, no matter the challenge.”
Adds Arriva London Engineering Director Sumeer Rawal: “We partnered with HGVC to source a packaged solution that fast-tracks our training needs. Behind the scenes, our engineers work hard to keep our fleet moving in a safe and reliable manner, and at times we need to attend to roadside breakdowns.
“It is therefore vital for our engineers to be able to drive on the public highway, and HGVC has provided us with a timely solution to meet our training needs.”
In June, HGVC was contracted by Stagecoach West to train 150 new bus drivers over a 12-month period.
