Go-Ahead coach completes mammoth journey from the Isle of Wight to Zambia

A Go-Ahead vehicle has completed its journey from the Isle of Wight in the UK to Lusaka in Zambia for use in training drivers to ensure public transport journeys are safe across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Southern Vectis coach – part of Go-Ahead subsidiary Go South Coast – was donated to transport charity Transaid, who provides driving and maintenance training across Africa.

The coach travelled for over a month for 4,900 miles via road and sea. It reached the Lusaka Industrial Training Centre (ITC) in Zambia in December and was officially unveiled at a launch event in February.

The government-backed training centre trains thousands of drivers a year. Transaid trained 1,435 drivers at the ITC between April 2020 and March 2021.

Go-Ahead’s Managing Director for Business Development Martin Dean said: “We’re delighted to donate our second vehicle to the Lusaka Training Centre. Our work with Transaid is so important for us to help the wider transport community. Road traffic accidents are the third highest cause of death in Zambia and driver training is vitally important.”

This is the second vehicle Go-Ahead has donated to the ITC. The company also donated a Go-Ahead London red single-decker bus in 2019.

Transaid campaigns to transform lives through safe, available and sustainable transport. Part of the charity’s mission is to ensure that every driver should be able to leave for a day’s work without the fear they may not come home because of a lack of training, or dangerous vehicles and roads.

Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Go-Ahead Group for its generous donation to our partner organisation in Zambia. The vehicle will even further enhance standards of training at the ITC, and make a significant impact on the ground.”

Lloyd Mbasela, ITC Director said: “We are delighted to have received the vehicle. The coach is in excellent condition and a delight to see. Our driving instructors, the rest of the ITC staff and students look forward to achieving the very best with it. Thank you all for your effort and contributions towards this achievement.”