Delivery bikes are now a way of life on the roads of South Africa and, while they offer not only convenience for the consumer but also employment for thousands of riders, it would be fair to say that the safety record of some of the riders isn’t the best. With that in mind, Bajaj South Africa has initiated a partnership in conjunction with its dealers and the Radah Skills Academy. This latter is a government academy set up to train South African riders who can then be placed into companies that use large fleets of delivery vehicles to conduct business.
Bajaj dealers will be the contact point for companies looking to recruit riders, and the dealers are empowered to offer rental solutions to businesses, which includes rider training. The first of these transactions involved Bajaj Hatfield and Takealot Centurion.
30 lucky riders met at Bajaj Hatfield after a few weeks’ training at Radah, to collect their brand-new Bajaj Boxer motorcycles, from where they rode to the Takealot Centurion depot, but not before Radah Skills had filled up the petrol tanks of all 30 bikes free of charge.
Upon arrival at Takealot’s Centurion depot, riders filled in forms to become official Takealot delivery riders. Takealot also took them through a short classroom session explaining service delivery (how to talk and treat clients) and how the App works on their phones. Shortly after getting the thumbs up, riders grabbed their new work uniform and a drink – once again supplied by Bajaj SA – and headed out for their first day of delivery work.
It doesn’t sound like much but Bajaj SA is looking to roll out the initiative to Bajaj dealers countrywide, not to mention strengthen relationships with the likes of Takealot and other big delivery bike fleet users, to ensure the safety of everybody who uses the roads. A small step maybe, but an important one.
For more information, visit: www.bajajsouthafrica.co.za
