As part of our annual compulsory Certificate of Professional Competence training, Lothian have partnered with Cycling Scotland to give our bus drivers bespoke Practical Cycle Awareness training, a first for the UK Bus Industry.

Over 1700 drivers, managers and supervisors from across the business will take part in the training this year.

The full day course has been designed to be fun and interactive and includes a 90 minute of cycling around our Longstone Training Centre in Edinburgh. The cycle route has been specifically planned to highlight key issues facing cyclists in relation to other vehicles, particularly buses and HGV’s.

Two of our trainers have been specially trained by Cycling Scotland to become qualified Cycling Instructors and lead the course and we have invested in a fleet of Raleigh Pioneer hybrid bikes for staff to use on the course.

Richard Hall, Managing Director of Lothian, said:

Following feedback from previous CPC training courses we thought long and hard about how we could make the course more interactive and increase the level of learning for all our staff.  Working in partnership with Cycling Scotland, we are proud to be the first bus operator in the UK to introduce this bespoke practical cycle awareness training.

This fantastic opportunity will assist us all in learning more about sharing road space and gaining a better understanding of the difficulties faced by other road users daily across our operating area, as well as having the ability going forward to influence these groups through our own actions.

Valentin Jeanjean, Cycling Scotland Development Officer, said:

We’re delighted to be working with Lothian and it’s a great credit to them to be the first bus company to provide Practical Cycle Awareness Training for all drivers. More people are cycling in Edinburgh and this practical training, originally developed by Edinburgh Council, can help improve safety for all road users. We would encourage other bus and HGV fleet operators to provide this training to their drivers and contact us for details of the subsidised courses available from ourselves and Recyke-a-Bike.

Councillor David Key, The City of Edinburgh Council’s Cycling Champion added:

Hats off to Lothian for their pioneering approach delivering this hugely beneficial training to their drivers. By raising awareness of the safest ways to interact and share the road with those travelling on two wheels, they’re helping make Edinburgh’s streets even safer for vulnerable road users.

CPC Periodic Training is compulsory for anyone who holds a Passenger Carrying Vehicle driving license across the UK, with each individual required to carry out thirty-five hours of periodic training every five years. We ensure this requirement is met by making sure all our drivers across the company have seven hours of CPC training each year.