DriveWise event at Beck Taxi features Mobile Units dedicated to training and media, business demonstrations
A student in one of DriveWise’s Simulator units customized for Toronto’s Vehicle for Hire training. Photo: DriveWise
DriveWise Canada is dropping one of its “Mobile Units” in Beck Taxi’s parking lot at #1 Credit Union Drive on Wednesday, July 27th. This Mobile Unit will host a full class of 15 students taking the Instructor-led simulator training in order to obtain the Vehicle for Hire (VFH) training certificate required for them to drive professionally in Toronto.
A second unit will also be parked in the nearby lot at the Latvian Centre, #4 Credit Union Drive, from 7am to 2pm. This unit will be dedicated to businesses and media who wish to see or take part in live demonstrations of the virtual reality technology.
“We are happy to have this opportunity to demonstrate the power of simulation to industries that put drivers on the road,” says DriveWise president Lesley DeRepentigny.
“Combined with the in-class learning and immediate correction by the instructor observing them, employers and students can be confident this training is state-of-the-art.”
DriveWise, which has been providing training to Toronto Taxi drivers for their insurers for the past ten years, is approved by the City of Toronto to deliver VFH training. Although the July 27 class is full, DriveWise has announced that it is making it a priority to offer seats in upcoming training sessions to Vehicle for Hire (VFH) drivers who paid for the now-suspended DRVRhub course but now do not know whether Toronto will accept those completion certificates.
According to City staff, 3602 Vehicle for Hire Completion Certificates were issued by DRVRhub in the 3 weeks it was operational; Toronto has not yet determined whether those Completion Certificates will be accepted in its VFH training program.
“We understand that professional drivers who need and want to be on the road, earning a living, have been set back because DRVRhub’s online program has been suspended,” DeRepentigny says.
“Our next regularly scheduled session is on August 2nd, and priority seating will be given to participants who have already obtained a DRVRhub certificate, but now cannot use it until Toronto makes a decision on whether those certificates will be honoured. No one knows how long that decision will take; and in the meantime, we know these drivers need to be working.
All participants who sign up through the DriveWise website will receive a call to discuss whether they should be placed on the list for priority seating. While the DriveWise Vehicle For Hire training program weekly schedule has already been published on its website, more sessions can be added as demand increases.
