The learner driver industry is hitting the road with digital transformation!

The learner driver industry is hitting the road with digital transformation!

Recently I had the opportunity to present at the ADTA Annual Driver Trainers(External link) conference in Sydney on “placing your business in the digital era”. Being privileged to represent Queensland as an Advance Queensland Digital Champion, this was a great opportunity to create more awareness of  “going digital” to solo driving instructors and driving schools.   It comes down to a change in mindset about how we do business.  Gone are the days of pen and paper and ticking boxes.  The digital era is here.  Learner drivers who have been born with technology expect the ‘customer experience’ they are used to in every other facet of their lives when they book driving lessons. 

A perfect example of digital solutions, which I mentioned to driver trainers at the conference, is the new innovative e-learning program, PrepL.  Developed in collaboration with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads by Croomo (a pioneering technology company, Brisbane based).

The new program, PrepL, is intended to replace the current 30-question paper-based written test for a class C learner licence. By focusing on developing safe behaviours and attitudes, it will ensure new drivers know the road rules and understand the impact of the Fatal Five.

You’ll be able to access PrepL at any time, on a compatible smartphone, tablet or computer. You will be able to complete the program at your own pace, and you will not have to come into a Department of Transport and Main Roads customer service centre to do the test or pay to re-sit the test if you fail.

 PrepL is currently in pilot phase, being tested by 300 students in 6 schools across Queensland. The PrepL pilot will run from September to December and will aim to be available to all Queenslanders in early 2018.

via PrepL online learning and assessment(External link)

 “The Queensland Government is putting itself at the forefront of road safety in Australia and the world,” Mr Bermingham, Croom Chief Growth Officer said.

“Last year, 250 people died on Queensland roads alone, so I believe that PrepL has the potential to save many lives in the future.

“Students don’t just learn the road rules with PrepL, they learn why it’s important to have the right attitude, and, in a virtual environment, they experience the consequences of poor driving.”

via World-first online program to replace learner driver test …(External link)

As a driving instructor, myself, I understand first-hand how important it is that learner drivers have a good attitude when learning to drive and understand the consequences associated with driving.  The PrepL e-learning programme will play an important role in preparing learners.  We, as driving instructors have a role to teach learner drivers these same attributes on the roads in a practical situation.  I regularly ask my students for feedback and their views are that the shock-tactic graphic campaigns for road safety no longer have an impact.  The timing is ripe for a change in the way that learner drivers approach learning about road rules and road safety.

Summing it up, RACQ spokesperson Lauren Ritchie said the Club welcomed the move to modernise road safety education. “Moving away from the old written test and to an interactive online course is a sign of the times and a great initiative,” Ms Ritchie said. (source: RACQ)(External link)

As the Founder of YLOO (You Live Only Once), an innovative automated digital end-to-end business platform designed for driving instructors, we welcome the move towards modernisation as well.  YLOO is currently being beta-trialled with driving instructors in Queensland and will be available in early November 2017, with the FREE YLOODrive app being available to learner drivers to book and manage their lessons online 24/7 in real-time.  We see YLOO as revolutionising the driver trainer industry and enabling driving instructors to go fully digital a.k.a online, with very little effort or cost.  My mission is to add real value to a driving instructor’s business life as sometimes their real value in the education and training that they provide to learner drives goes unnoticed.  With the world around us is changing at an unprecedented rate like we’ve never seen before if we as driving instructors don’t make changes in the way we do business, we will get left behind quicker than we think.

YLOO aims to bring about a strong sense of  “partnerships in driving” by keeping parents in the loop throughout the learning process with a driving instructor.  Feedback from parents and students about the benefits of the information flow has been enormously positive.  With the YLOO App being released to learner drivers in November, we believe that YLOO will connect learner drivers with instructors easily through the app.

As with PrepL, we believe that YLOO is also a world first.  YLOO provides a niche digital platform for the driving industry together with allowing easy online bookings and payments for learner drivers.  So pens and paper are out for young Queenslanders!  The opportunity for Driver Trainers is at their fingertips, to say goodbye to manual systems and embrace how technology can add value to their business lives.

If you’d like to see if YLOO(External link) is a good fit for your business – I’d welcome your feedback!