IAM Fleet helps oil the wheels of Dublin

With the ever-higher volume of traffic on Dublin’s streets, Dublin Bus drivers have sought to optimise their driving safety standards by training for the IAM’s Advanced Driving Test. Indeed, 1,723 of the 2,300 employed have now passed it. The programme began in June 2002 and has so far resulted in a massive 22% drop in incidents over the 2001 figures.

Dublin Bus already boasts some of the best-trained commercial drivers in the world. Their standard training includes accident prevention, mechanical understanding, security knowledge, customer care instruction and awareness of equality, disability, culture and safety. Moreover, they receive refresher courses every 12-18 months.

The training is carried out by Dublin Bus’s own staff, who first attend a 2-3 week Advanced Instructor Course run by IAM Fleet. The drivers must then pass the IAM Advanced Driving Test to prove they are applying the knowledge gained through the training course.

Grainne Mackin, Communications Manager, Dublin Bus said, “Our drivers take a real pride in their job and are very aware of their responsibilities of safely conveying nearly 1/2 million passengers per day.”

Dublin Bus currently operates a fleet of 1,100 buses through one of the busiest cities in the world. Commuter trips during Dublin’s morning peak are 428,000, a figure the city was not expected to reach until 2016.