Impact Of Driver Training On ComfortDelgro's Taxi Business In Singapore

Regulated Ride-Sharing Puts Pressure on Taxi Firms

Question:

Identify the main Concept of  the best service in the Public transport.

ComfortDelgro Corporation Limited is the biggest public transport company of Singapore. The taxi companies in Singapore were facing a disturbance due to the regulation of Land transport Authority to hire private car services like Uber. At such a crisis situation the training of taxi drivers has become a necessity.  It is required to train the taxi drivers to develop their soft skills and make them efficient in maintaining and operating the vehicles.  They should also be taught about the local places that will attract tourists (Ford, 2014).

The taxi drivers should also know how to deal with accidents because they are the immediate ones who can provide first- aid to the victims. An expert and trained taxi driver will be able to offer help on few subject matters to maintain the knowledge gap between operators. The training will also help in identifying the main concepts of the best service in the public transport. This will help to improve the experience of those people who are dependent on public transport. The knowledge and skills that is imparted will also help in development of the business (Wilson, 2014).

A survey of the ComfortDelgro business environment looks into the competitors and the SWOT analysis of the company (Bracker & Cohen, 2015).

Fig- SWOT analysis   

Source- (Wilson, 2014).

Forty passengers who are regular travelers were asked about their experience in order to conduct a random survey. The answers received from the passengers were mixed. Some were on the side of ComfortDelgro while the rest were not. People who replied in affirmative said that ComfortDelgro is a fast and reliable transport service. They cover a major part of Singapore and the fare is also affordable. On the contrary, the passengers who replied negatively said that it is not a renowned brand therefore they cannot rely on ComfortDelgro. They did not want to switch from their original cab or taxi as they did not find anything better in ComfortDelgro (Seidle, Fernandez & Perry, 2016). 

Rationale and purpose

The training that was provided to the taxi drivers was beneficial on the part of the company as well as for the passengers. ComfortDelgro got their potent drivers who are well- trained, aware and efficient to deal with any kind of situation. They were given customer awareness training for the safety of children, adults and old people at risk. These are useful because the drivers face certain critical situation which no other people can think of.  They learnt the basic hard and soft skills which will help them throughout their lifetime (Jehanzeb & Bashir, 2013). The learning outcomes proposed from the training are as follows:

• Through this training the taxi drivers got to know how to deal with the commuters politely.
• Their change in behavior will promote the name of the company to the non- passenger of ComfortDelgro who will start hiring it.
• Increase in the number of commuters will help in the growth and development of ComfortDelgro.
• If the company starts flourishing at a rapid rate it will not take much time for ComfortDelgro to become one of the largest transport providers in the world (Kraiger et al., 2014).

Why Taxi Driver Training was Critical for ComfortDelgro

The training is very much relevant towards the achievement of business goals. The survey and analysis showed that there are still many weakness and threats on ComfortDelgro which are acting as hurdles in their way to success. If the learning outcomes on the part of the drivers are met properly then it will not take too long to achieve their target (Kraiger, 2014).

Training and development methods can be categorized by a pyramid structure.

Fig- Training and development structure       

Source- (Latif, Jan & Shaheen, 2013)

ROI- helps to find out if the business results are worthy of the effort

Results- if the training given lead to an increase in business result or not

Behavior- if the drivers used their skill and knowledge as a result of the training

Learning- if the drivers learnt anything from the training

Reaction- if the drivers enjoyed the training and they were involved or not (Kulkarni, 2013)

The training methods are aligned to the intended learning outcome in a way that the taxi drivers follow the methods of learning to implement their knowledge in the practical field. The drivers need to be quick enough to use their behavioral skills when needed in order to get the result and that will prove if they were involved properly in the training (Frost, 2014).

The principles of measurement of learning are- engagement and motivation, content knowledge, planning and communication, cumulative measurement of progress, support for teaching and learning goals and recognition of social and cultural aspects of assessment. Training that encourages learning keeps the trainees engaged and they get motivated to learn more. Knowledge of everything related to one’s own field is necessary. The training of the drivers should be planned accordingly and two- way communication is required for better learning outcome. Assessment should be fair, valid and appropriate for the purpose. This can be done by analyzing information from a wide range of sources. The HR should know the procedure to enhance the learning capacity of the drivers. A positive learning environment is a must and the trainers should be taught to learn from their mistakes. Training will be effective only when different values, assumptions and understandings will be recognized. The four dimensions of outcomes are- knowledge, skills, attitudes and values and behavior. The drivers realized that learning outcomes actually differ from the specific goal. Learning outcomes are solid, measurable descriptions but goals are wide and general (Latif, Jan & Shaheen, 2013).

Learning Outcomes and Benefits of Training Drivers

Conclusion

The summative method assesses the learning of the trainers at the end of the training by comparing and contrasting with a set standard. They can sometimes have a high point value. The training needs are evaluated for understanding the effectiveness. The two aspects of training programs include clear plans for implementation and strong evaluation of the effectiveness. That is why the training programs of the ComfortDelgro were based on the needs of the company and not because that the training hours need to be filled. Such training programs needed to be implemented according to a logical consideration of the needs of training.

The formative method includes diagnostic testing which varies from formal and informal assessment procedures during the process of learning outcome. This modifies the training as well as learning activities to improve the drivers’ attainment. The evaluation of the effectiveness of training program is based on the learning of the trainees and improvement of their skills. This would help the trainees as well as the HR department to understand the success of the training program in spreading knowledge and modifies the skills of the drivers. Training programs were conducted in ComfortDelgro with a focus to link with the goals of the company, selecting the right candidates, choosing a convenient time for the HR as well as the trainees, publish a training calendar prior to the training and assess the effectiveness of the training program by filling out survey sheets and interaction with the participants to understand if the lesson was well receive.

References

Bracker, J. S., & Cohen, D. J. (2015). The Impact of Training and Development Activities on Small Technology Oriented Entrepreneurial Firm Performance. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 3(2), 1-14.

Ford, J. K. (2014). Improving training effectiveness in work organizations. Psychology Press.

Frost, S. (2014). The importance of training & development in the workplace.

Jehanzeb, K., & Bashir, N. A. (2013). Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study. European Journal of business and management, 5(2).

Kraiger, K. (2014). Looking back and looking forward: Trends in training and development research. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 25(4), 401-408.

Kraiger, K., Passmore, J., dos Santos, N. R., & Malvezzi, S. (Eds.). (2014). The Wiley Blackwell handbook of the psychology of training, development, and performance improvement. John Wiley & Sons.

Kulkarni, P. P. (2013). A literature review on training & development and quality of work life. Researchers World, 4(2), 136.

Latif, K. F., Jan, S., & Shaheen, N. (2013). Association of Training Satisfaction with Employee Development aspect of Job Satisfaction. Journal of managerial sciences, 7(1).

Seidle, B., Fernandez, S., & Perry, J. L. (2016). Do leadership training and development make a difference in the public sector? A panel study. Public Administration Review, 76(4), 603-613.

Wilson, J. P. (2014). International human resource development: Learning, education and training for individuals and organisations. Development and Learning in Organizations, 28(2).