Maruti wants to make Indian roads safer

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Maruti Suzuki Ltd wants to ensure that its cars don’t create havoc. The company also hopes to create jobs. To meet these goals, the company initiated a driving school, the Institute of Driving Training and Research (ITDR), in cooperation with the Delhi government through a non-profit society. The company now has 42 small neighbourhood driving schools.

Maruti has trained 450,000 people in seven years and plans to train 800,000 people in the next three years at its ITDRs, to be set up in other states. Within a year, one ITDR each will be opened in Bahadurgarh, Rohtak, Dehradun and Vadodara.

The company will sign soon a memorandum of understanding with the Bihar and West Bengal governments to set up similar projects.

RK Parimoo, general manager, sales support, Maruti, says: “The model is based on the Singapore-model, where huge premises are used to produce skilled drivers. Bad drivers have no place on roads.”

“The schools are not for profit, the only profit that is allowed is from the clients of the school, who who may turn into buyers,” says Parimoo. According to Parimoo, Maruti is planning to replicate the western model of driving schools throughout the country.

This will not be part of corporate social responsibility , but would be a franchisee model meant only for its dealers who will have to invest up to Rs 30 lakh for a model driving school, equipped with simulators and air-conditioned cars.

Maruti’s ITDR model has encouraged others too. Ashok Leyland has started one ITDR in Delhi, Tatas are setting up an IDTR in Punjab, Mahindra & Mahindra is also working on one, says Parimoo.

Maruti’s course, run in a vast centre at Sarai Kale Khan, in Delhi, is under-utilised as it is mostly office goers who come there for car driving lessons. Maruti’s IDTRs in other states will not be carbon copies of the Delhi model as their working would be determined by the terms of the state governments.

In Gujarat, Maruti is allowed to use the IDTR to train tribal youth in mechanics and driving skills. In Bihar, the MoU is being signed with the rural development department.