Special permits for passenger bus drivers
With the aim of reducing the rapidly increasing accidents caused by passenger transport vehicles, special training has been made compulsory for drivers of SLTB and private buses with effect from this month, the Motor Traffic Commissioner’s Department (MTD) announced.
A special permit will be issued initially to passenger transport bus drivers who have undergone a 14 day training programme. However they also have to pass a compulsory examination to become eligible for the new permit. This applies to all forms of passenger transport drivers including those driving school vans.
The training programme being conducted by the MTD in collaboration with the National Transport Commission (NTC), National Transport Medical Institute and the Police Department will provide awareness on first aid, technical know how and ethics and values a driver should possess, a senior MTD official told the Business Times.In future, when these drivers renew their licence from the DMT, a special licence under the category of Passenger Transport (PT) will be issued to them, he revealed.
A new set of guidelines which is compulsory when issuing licences to public transport drivers is now being implemented, he added.
Under these guidelines, no holder of a licence for any class or classes of vehicles shall drive a motor coach as a public service vehicle unless he is authorised by a special endorsement by the Commissioner General under Section 128A of the Motor Traffic Act.
The driver must also prove to the satisfaction of the Commissioner General that he/she is a person aged between 23 and 65 years has two years driving experience after obtaining a regular driving licence for a motor coach.According to MTD statistics, there are around 40,000 passenger transport drivers in the country. Around 500 drivers have already undergone the training programme.
The special training programme for passenger bus drivers was launched at ceremony held at the NTC auditorium in Colombo recently. According to City Traffic Police, apart from motor traffic accidents various anti-social activities take place inside these passenger transport buses involving some unruly bus drivers and conductors.Another reason for the introduction of the new guidelines is to prevent the abuse and harassment of women and children inside passenger transport buses and vans, he pointed out.