Transport

Start with who needs passenger and staff transport and why. Around companies, schools and visitors drive demand in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates.

• List 10 offers or suppliers in the UAE with price per trip in AED and who buys.
• Interview 5 people from companies, schools and visitors: what do they buy now, how often, what do they pay, what annoys them?
• Learn three terms: Pre-trip check (a short inspection before moving); Driver hours (legal limits on time at the wheel); Utilisation (the share of time a vehicle earns).
• Write a one-page brief: user, need, hoped-for price, and the rule that matters most.

Activity. Complete the market table, five interview notes and the brief.

Standard to meet. Price ten offers, interview five users, and state one need in one sentence.

Know the rule before the work. Main hazards here: road crashes and driver fatigue. Hazard thinking means list each step, ask what could go wrong, and decide the control.

• Ask your local authority or free zone which licence, permit or inspection applies. Write the answer and the date you asked.
• For each step (plan the route; check vehicle and driver; run the trip; record and review) write the hazard and the control.
• Use a hierarchy: remove the hazard, replace it, separate people from it, change the way of work, then protective equipment last.
• Keep a one-page incident rule: who you call, what you stop, what you record.

Activity. Draw the flow and mark hazard and control at each step.

Standard to meet. Name a hazard and a control for every step, and answer the licence question in writing.

The work is a short chain: plan the route, check vehicle and driver, run the trip, record and review. Learn each link, then link them with records.

• Write a checklist for each of the 4 steps: input, action, check, output.
• Time each step three times and note the slowest.
• Record a defect or delay each time it happens: what, where, cause, fix.
• Measure trips on time; this is your main number.

Activity. Run the chain three times (simulated or real) and fill the log.

Standard to meet. Complete three logs, and give the slowest step a cause and a fix.

What you do not measure you cannot improve. Your main measure is trips on time.

• Define trips on time: what counts, what does not, and over what period.
• Draw a simple chart of the last 10 results and mark the average.
• Find the top two causes of loss with a tally sheet, then fix the biggest one first.
• Check measuring tools: are they accurate, clean and in date?

Activity. Collect a tally for one week and make a Pareto chart.

Standard to meet. Complete the tally, name the biggest cause, and plan one fix with a date.

Know the cost of one trip before you set the price. Include materials, labour, energy, transport, licence share, waste and a safety margin.

• Cost per trip = total cost divided by trips sold (not made).
• Margin = (price minus cost) divided by price.
• Break-even units = fixed costs divided by gain per unit.
• Test the price with two users and write down the answer.

Activity. Build the cost sheet with AED on every line and have your mentor check it.

Standard to meet. Check that no cost is missing, and calculate the margin twice by different routes.

Customers return when you keep promises. Promise only what your workflow can deliver.

• Write a one-page offer: what is included, what is not, price, time, how you fix mistakes.
• Write a short script for the first call or visit.
• Agree dates in writing; confirm each change.
• Handle a complaint in four steps: listen, apologise for the impact, fix, record what changed.

Activity. Present the offer to two users and note changes.

Standard to meet. Write an offer with scope, price, time and a fix rule, and collect comments from two users.

Small, real and recorded. Change one thing at a time and learn quickly.

• Keep a daily log: date, units, cost, delays, defects, safety notes.
• Hold a 15-minute review each week with your mentor.
• Write down every complaint and what you changed.
• Take photos only where allowed and never of people without consent.

Activity. Complete 30 days of the log and four weekly reviews.

Standard to meet. Log 30 days, give each defect a cause, and keep weekly notes.

A decision beats a feeling. Compare plan with result and choose to scale, change or stop.

• Make a before and after table: cost per unit, defects, delays, repeat users.
• Write three lessons.
• Decide scale, change or stop, with the numbers behind it.
• Give two peers one strength and one fix each.

Activity. Present to a review room and collect one written comment from a user.

Standard to meet. Justify the decision with numbers, and give two peer reviews.

A five-minute check prevents most breakdowns and many crashes.

• Check tyres, lights, brakes, fluids, air conditioning and seat belts.
• Record defects and tag the vehicle out if unsafe.
• Check the driver is rested and within the legal driving-hours rules.
• Keep documents in the vehicle.

Activity. Write a pre-trip checklist and use it on five vehicles or a sample.

Standard to meet. Complete the checklist, and log defects.

Cost per trip and on-time rate decide profit.

• Cost per trip = fuel + driver + wear + overhead share.
• Plan routes to avoid peak traffic.
• Measure on-time percent weekly.
• Share delay causes with the team.

Activity. Cost three routes and choose the best.

Standard to meet. Show the margins, and set a punctuality plan.

When a vehicle stops or an accident happens, the first ten minutes decide whether people stay safe.

• Make the scene safe: hazard lights, a safe stopping place, a warning triangle placed a safe distance behind, passengers moved away from traffic.
• If anyone is hurt, call the emergency number first, then the operator's control room; give the location, the vehicle number and how many people are on board.
• Take photos and notes of the scene; do not admit blame or argue with other drivers.
• After the event, complete an incident form and flag the vehicle as not fit to drive until checked.

Activity. Run a table-top drill with a flat-tyre case and time each step with a stopwatch.

Standard to meet. Complete all steps in order, make the call within 2 minutes, and complete the form.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Parts of a transport trip

Notes: Name the four steps of a trip and three terms: pre-trip check, driver hours and utilisation. Notes: use a company or school bus in Dubai or Abu Dhabi; learners point out each step on a real route.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Crash and fatigue hazards

Notes: Describe the main hazards of road crashes and driver fatigue and the daily heat checks on tyres and air conditioning. Notes: show one tidy and one faulty pre-trip check; learners say which vehicle must not move and why.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Do a pre-trip check

Notes: Complete one pre-trip check and one trip record under a competent supervisor, who must approve the vehicle before it moves. Notes: check tyres, lights, brakes and air conditioning are each ticked, and that driver hours are written down.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Run a 30-day trip pilot

Notes: Plan, check, run and review trips for a real or simulated customer and report trips on time. Notes: price at AED 320 per trip against AED 230 cost, a gain of AED 90 or 28.1 per cent; record the cause of every late trip.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Compare routes and decide

Notes: Compare two routes or schedules by trips on time and cost per trip, and choose to scale, change or stop. Notes: with a thin margin of 28.1 per cent, one late-trip penalty can wipe out the gain from several trips, so test that first.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Coach dispatchers and drivers

Notes: Set check, hours and handover rules for a small team and review them every week. Notes: sample five trip records for a complete pre-trip check, legal driver hours and a logged reason for each delay.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Design the fleet system

Notes: Design a transport system with utilisation targets, driver-hour and heat-safety audits and a 12-month plan. Notes: at 400 trips a month and AED 90 gain each, gross gain is AED 36,000; present one risk, one saving and the plan.