Calls for minibus drivers to receive training

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Liberty Bus is urging minibus drivers in the island to sign up for the one-day award winning Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS) to ensure their passengers are in safe hands.

While there is no legal requirement in Jersey for such training, Liberty Bus, an accredited MiDAS trainer, wants schools, charities, nursing homes and sports associations to train their drivers for everyone's safety.

In the United Kingdom, all minibus drivers must receive the MiDAS training. They are also subject to DBS checks and safety audits are carried out regularly. For Liberty Bus, local minibus user groups should get ahead, and ensure they protect their passengers by training their drivers, something they claim is especially important for those transporting disabled passengers.

Nikki Withe, HR/Training & Community Manager at LibertyBus, said: "In the Channel Islands, there is currently no legislation to force minibus drivers to be trained. This means that anyone can drive a minibus and secure disabled passengers, without any training at all – which can put passengers at risk. At LibertyBus, we’re now offering safety audits and the MiDAS minibus driving qualification from our bus depot in St Helier to improve safety. With the Disability Law coming shortly we expect to see training like this become mandatory."

The MiDAS training is a one-day course coupled with a Passenger Assistant Training. It covers practical and classroom teaching on safety and economy, legal responsibilities, duty of care, manual handling, personal safety, Health & Safety as well as the care of vulnerable people. It also covers the boarding of passengers, how to correctly use wheelchair tie-downs to ensure passenger safety as well as disembarking. At the end of the day, all trainees receive a written and practical assessment which gives them a pass or fail. For additional peace of mind, Nikki Withe recommends that drivers should also be DBS checked and have medicals. 

In August 2017, LibertyBus trained Enable Jersey's ten minibus drivers. Bronywn Gomes, Development Officer of Enable, commented: "I am pleased to say all ten of our drivers passed their MiDAS training  with flying colours, and have come away feeling much more confident. We want our passengers to feel safe, and our drivers to feel equipped and this training has definitely helped.  It truly is worth doing, I would recommend all local minibus drivers to get on the course."

Ron Perchard, a volunteer who took the driver training said: "I really enjoyed the day. It has been extremely useful especially for when transporting wheelchair users. The trainer Ian Campbell was also very good."

Liberty Bus's initiative has already receive the support from Drivers and Vehicle Standards. Gordon Forrest, Chief Motor Traffic Officer of DVS, congratulated Enable for being "forward thinking." He added: "It won’t be long before the Disability Law is passed, and there is more legislation in place to protect disabled people. MiDAS training is especially good as it focusses on safety and security on board. I hope to see many more groups investing in the development of their drivers through this training."

Any group interested in hearing more about MiDAS training, can contact Nikki Withe on NikkiWithe@hctgroup.org or call 828568.