Dubai: The first smart training centre dedicated to training taxi drivers has opened in Dubai’s Al Rawiyya area.
The Drivers Rehabilitation Centre was opened by Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The centre, which is supervised by the Drivers Affairs Department in RTA, is dedicated to training taxi drivers of franchise companies and drivers of on-demand taxicabs (luxury and limo taxi service). The aim of the centre is to raise the bar on the traffic safety of the taxi service as well as the quality of services delivered to passengers.
Smart
The centre is fitted with smart screens, audio-visual technologies, and simulators for measuring and assessing actual driver’s performance. It also includes a smart map base to enhance drivers’ literacy about tourist destinations and residential communities in the emirate.
Along with smart facilities, the centre also has halls for training drivers on security and safety, first aid, and firefighting equipment that meet world-class standards.
Drivers will also undergo a medical and psychological assessment at the centre’s social clinic before obtaining a permit to practise their profession.
The centre focuses on training drivers and nurturing their skills in an advanced, creative, flexible and suitable training environment.
Three-course programmes
The training programmes include three basic courses. The first is a mandatory foundation course lasting 22 days for all taxis drivers. The second course lasts 10 days and is dedicated to new drivers of on-demand taxis, and the third is a three-day course every two years for practising drivers. Drivers who are the subject of frequent complaints or traffic fines will also take a three-day rehabilitation course.
“Drivers Rehab Centre is managed by a bunch of distinctive instructors who are competent in teaching driving, delivering training courses and speaking multiple languages,” said Dr Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency.
The training programmes and modules have been designed in coordination with a British organization concerned with reviewing and preparing training programs. Programmes deliver general information about the UAE, government, customs and traditions, legislation, driving and traffic rules, and RTA regulations. They also cover customer needs such as satisfaction and quality, services for the disabled, etiquette, Arabic and English languages, traffic safety issues, health and safety procedures, firefighting systems, and route planning.
