Get ready for a softer ride

BANGALORE: With the objective of making commuting by autorickshaws a more ‘peaceful’ task, Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT) and Bangalore traffic police will hold a soft skills training session for the auto drivers of the city on Sunday. The two-hour session is an attempt to make them realise that communication is an important aspect in their  everyday work life.Says Sajan Samuel, divisional head, IIJT, “Two hours might not be enough to bring about immediate changes. The mindset doesn’t change overnight. But what we are trying to do is to make the autorickshaw drivers realise that communication is important, and that it’s not just a transactional relationship that they have with passengers.” He observes that the impact autorickshaw drivers have on passengers is important. “Their behaviour will leave an impact in the minds of tourists and people from other states,” he adds.The two-hour session that will be held on Sunday will be the first of a series of sessions that will be held annually. “We are looking at holding four training sessions in a quarter. The training will be held in the vernacular language and will have various segments. There will be a video presentation that will teach them how to interact with customers. There will also be a role playing session,” points out Samuel.Samuel is quick to mention that the arguments that erupt between the passengers and the autorickshaw drivers are circumstantial. “It’s not always one person’s fault. But there is an image that people have conjured up over the years about auto drivers. That needs to be changed. But that cannot be changed if the drivers are rude and arrogant,” he says.After the free training session, the auto drivers will be monitored by the people from IIJT and if they prove to be effective, they will be given a customer-friendly auto driver tag.  “It was difficult to get people for the session through unions. Talking to them individually was also not easy. But thanks to the efforts of the Bangalore traffic police, we could spread word about the training,” says Samuel. Thirty auto drivers have signed up for the first session.