Maruti Suzuki to train 30,000 Uber staffers in safe driving

Maruti Suzuki India is partnering Uber India in an initiative aimed at training 30,000 individuals or Uber drivers in safe driving over a three-year period.

The initiative is aimed at providing aspiring commercial drivers with micro-entrepreneurship opportunities and equipping them with necessary skill to operate on the Uber platform. The pilot phase will be rolled out in Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR region and will be introduced in Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Pune thereafter.

As per the MoU, Uber will provide qualified leads of potential driver-partners to Maruti Suzuki for facilitating them with commercial driver training. Under the specialised training module developed by Maruti Suzuki, the drivers will undergo pre-assessment tests, theoretical training, practical training and post-training assessments for a period of 30 days.

While the pre-assessment will be undertaken by Uber, the entire training process followed by post-training assessment with grades attributed to the drivers will be Maruti Suzuki’s responsibility.

The theoretical segment will familiarise the learner with basic requirements such as vehicle controls and mechanisms, road signage, rules and markings, driving in difficult conditions, maintenance and fuel efficiency tips, law and driving, attitudinal change towards road safety etc. The practical training covers intensive training in driving pre-checks, risk perception, driving technique, safety driving, rules of the road and motoring skills.

The MoU was exchanged by Mahesh Rajoria, assistant vice-president (Driving Training), Maruti Suzuki India, and Amit Jain, president, Uber India, at the 9th Global Skills Summit at FICCI, in presence of Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Commenting on the association, RS Kalsi, executive director (Marketing and Sales), Maruti Suzuki, said: “We are excited to partner with Uber India to train individuals in safe driving and provide micro-entrepreneurship opportunities to them. We expect to train 30,000 drivers under this programme. Through this partnership, we will be able to promote safe and responsible driving while facilitating meaningful livelihood for youth.”

Elaborating on Uber’s first ever partnership with the country’s leading automaker, Amit Jain, president, Uber India, said, “Uber is  committed to creating more economic opportunities and extends full support to the government’s Skill India and entrepreneurship building initiatives. With UberSHAAN, our plan is to rapidly scale India’s entrepreneurial base and generate 1 million livelihood opportunities on the Uber platform by 2018. Our partnership with the National Skill Development Corporation and Maruti Suzuki will be instrumental in realising our goal by 2018.”

Training a new generation of safe drivers 

Maruti Suzuki has been actively imparting driver training since 2000 and has over the years set up six IDTRs  (Institute of Driving and Traffic Research) and over 370 MDS (Maruti Driving Schools) facilities to impart safe driving training.

MDS are neighbourhood driving schools set up in partnership with Maruti Suzuki’s dealer partners. They are equipped with advanced driving simulators to create on-road driving situations and offer a mix of classroom and practical training by trained instructors, including women.

Also read: Maruti trains over one million people at its driving schools