The 2012 BusVic Branch Meetings’ travelling road show, is tearing across Victoria
Busloads of industry information are rolling across Victoria as part of the annual BusVic Branch Meetings.
Bus Association Victoria Executive Director Chris Lowe says the 2012 industry forums, held February 21 to March 21 across Victoria, have been a huge hit.
“The branch meetings get bigger and better each year,” he says.
“Some years ago they were really just a 90 minute meeting for operators to talk about contracts. In the last decade they have flourished to be a lot more than that – now we invite suppliers as well.”
But he says this year it’s not just operators and suppliers benefiting from the wisdom on wheels.
For the first time, school children have also been included in the tour, which has already visited three remote primary schools in regional Victoria.
“We go into the school, give the kids – the preps and the first class and second class kids – a school bus education session on all the rules around safe school bus travel – and it’s taken off like wild fire,” Lowe says.
“The feedback that we have received from all the principals and the schools, the department of education, the department of transport, and all the operators, is that this is a great initiative, and one of the best things we have ever done.”
Lowe says the school initiative has been so successful that next year BusVic will double its efforts.
“We are only doing five school bus education sessions this February and March, but we could easily do fifty. But of course that is all contingent upon funding. So I don’t mind going to ten next year.”
The tour will continue to tear across the state during the next month, visiting Dunkeld Primary School at Dunkeld, and Donald Primary School at Donald.
It will also make official branch meeting stops at Hamilton, Ballarat, Horsham, Swan Hill, and Bendigo.
“We go into the branch and give the operators an update on all the pertinent issues pursuant to the industry,” Lowe says.
He says everything from policy and contract changes, to deregulation, and operational issues, is discussed at the meetings.
“The bus safety act 2009 remains a hot topic,” he says.
“But we are sick of whinging about it so we are just getting on with it.”
The branch meeting program includes a bus and supplier display, an accreditation workshop, and an application for accreditation ‘renewal’ help kit.
Visit www.busvic.asn.au/ for more information.