Tue | May 30, 2023

BCIC pumps $10 million into road safety

Published:Friday | January 14, 2022 | 12:07 AM
Former minister of transport and mining, Robert Montague (second left), discusses the new ‘PPV Driver Train’ Platform with managing director of BCIC, Peter Levy (third left). Looking on (from left) are: Gordon Swaby, co-founder and CEO, EduFocal; and M
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Former minister of transport and mining, Robert Montague (second left), discusses the new ‘PPV Driver Train’ Platform with managing director of BCIC, Peter Levy (third left). Looking on (from left) are: Gordon Swaby, co-founder and CEO, EduFocal; and Michael Bryue, general manager, finance and planning, Transport Authority. The event was the launch of the PPV Driver Train Platform held recently at the Ministry of Transport and Mining’s head office in Kingston.

British Caribbean Insurance Company Limited (BCIC), through its 2019 agreement with the Transport Authority and EduFocal, has officially launched an online programme geared towards road safety education and training of Public Passenger Vehicle (PPV) operators.

Dubbed ‘PPV Driver Train’, the web/mobile application is set to become available to approximately 82,000 PPV drivers across the island. The drivers will undergo training and development courses in areas such as: delivering quality customer service, defensive driving, managing stress, and maintaining professionalism, among other topics.

Robert Montague, who was the minister of transport and mining up to last week, in his address noted that this application is a crucial component in the ministry’s mandate to revolutionise the transport sector. He said, “One of the items on my 16-point plan was the introduction of apps for the use of the public and people within the sector. I believe technology and innovation will make life easier for us in Jamaica.”

The then minister continued, “BCIC has invested its money in this system and I want to thank them and EduFocal for this partnership. This app forms a part of a wider programme that the ministry is using to treat with road safety.”

The overall cost of developing and maintaining the training platform totals $13 million, of which BCIC covered $10 million, and the transport ministry the remaining balance. Managing director of BCIC, Peter Levy, shared that the funding of this application reinforces BCIC’s commitment to improving the lives of all road users. He said, “As a company that wants to create excellence not just for ourselves but for our customers, our business partners, and country, we remain committed to this initiative, which takes a major step forward today.”

He continued, “BCIC’s commitment to road safety is what led us to innovate in 2016 with a 40 per cent discount on the premium for taxi drivers who have a safe record. We know that money talks so we created monetary incentives for owners to recruit safe drivers, and for the drivers themselves to drive safely.”

BCIC remains a long-standing partner of the transport ministry and its mission to improve road safety, and will continue for years to come. The company has supported the transport ministry through initiatives such as: certifying 350 PPV drivers in CPR and fire prevention training, and more recently a COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The self-paced interactive training platform is powered by Jamaica-based Technology and Educational Training company, EduFocal. It contains simulations, videos, and illustrations, built-in knowledge checks, and quizzes for public transport owners and drivers in Jamaica.

CEO and co-founder of EduFocal, Gordon Swaby shared, “EduFocal is excited to partner with BCIC and the Transport Authority on this revolutionary initiative. With BCIC’s support, we were able to develop world-class content that we believe will make a positive impact in the industry over the next 12 to 24 months. It is our goal to make increasing strides to improve and make accessible quality education across all industries.”

Noting that the ‘PPV Driver Train’ platform introduces renewed convenience to the PPV certification process, Michael Bryue, general manager of finance and planning at the Transport Authority, said, “I am sure the drivers will be pleased, instead of coming to the Transport Authority to sit for 30 minutes or more to do the test, they can now do this on their own convenient time from wherever they choose, through the app.”

The ‘PPV Driver Train’ programme commenced on January 10 and can be accessed by visiting the website www.tappvtrain.com. The app will also soon be available for download from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.