A Southern Vectis vehicle is set to help provide vital driving training and mechanical maintenance skills to people in Zambia – thanks to the operator’s support for international transport charity, Transaid.
Transaid works with partners and governments to solve transport challenges in economically developing countries across the world. In doing so, it enriches lives, ensuring the futures of generations to come – by providing support and training to professional drivers.
The Isle of Wight bus operator is donating one of its vehicles through Transaid to the Industrial Training Centre (ITC) in Lusaka, Zambia.
Andrew Wickham, Managing Director of Southern Vectis, says:
“Our partner charity, Transaid, backs the ITC by donating skills, funding, and equipment to help the centre deliver its curriculum.
“A Zambian government-backed vocational college, the ITC provides training on all forms of road transport, but principally lorries, buses and coaches.
“Coaches, in particular, are an important form of transport in Zambia – and there is an extensive network of routes linking some very isolated communities. However, the high level of road traffic accidents are a concern and there is much to be done in terms of infrastructure and education to put that right.
“We are donating a coach to replace an obsolete vehicle that is over 30 years old, and will ensure the ITC can continue its courses, to make coach driving and maintenance safer. Without it, as the current vehicle gets older and less reliable, there would be a real chance that training activities couldn’t take place.
Article continues below this advertisement “At Southern Vectis, we are pleased to provide convenient, comfortable and comprehensive bus services to people living on and visiting the Isle of Wight. And now, we are proud to be playing a role in ensuring those living in Zambia have the opportunity to access safer transport for years to come.”
The coach began its mammoth journey this week – leaving the Isle of Wight on a Red Funnel ferry to the mainland.
I suppose they can afford to do this due to charging some of the highest bus fares in Britain.
Tax relief cuts local buses cut school bus run by wnakres
Zambia will probably run a better service than southern vectis
If Southern Vectis can afford to give away one of their coaches and have it shipped to southern Africa, perhaps they could look at reducing the bus fares for people here on the Island? Or, maybe this coach could have been utilised on one of the school routes axed a couple of years ago? It doesn’t seem right that people here are paying high bus fares while Southern Vectis can afford to simply give what looks like a perfectly good vehicle away.
It could have been filled with lots of things for the needy, we have far to much here, look at the charity shops everywhere.
Why send an empty bus???