The Passenger Assistant Training Scheme is designed for anyone who has care or supervision of passengers travelling by road - in cars, minibuses or MPVs.

It is relevant to volunteers as well as paid staff covers legal, practical and safety issues - a comprehensive training package aims to improve passenger safety by providing the skills and information for passenger assistants to understand and meet the needs of their passengers.

It has been developed jointly by Hampshire County Council and the Community Transport Association. 

• Access to PATS training can be gained by contacting Scarborough Dial A Ride
• Training is open to schools, voluntary organisations, healthcare providers, commercial transport companies, community transport operators and council departments
• PATS training is divided into different sections, called modules. These relate to different aspects of the work which passenger assistants usually do - some work only with children, others with adults who have disabilities, and so on
• Before they are trained passenger assistants must have their training needs assessed, taking into account any training they have already had and the needs of the passengers they work with
• Written material is available to support all training courses. PATS has also produced a Passenger Assistant's Handbook, which can be ordered

As a PATS member your organisation must accept the certificates of passenger assistants who were trained by other PATS members as evidence of the training they have already received. 

PATS Training - the different modules

• Module A: The Role of the Passenger Assistant
  This is the 'foundation' module because it is a starting point for further training. It covers the role and responsibilities of a passenger assistant, including legal, practical and safety issues
• Module B: Assisting Passengers with Disabilities
  This module includes boarding and alighting from vehicles and safety information concerning wheelchair users. It is very similar to the relevant part of MiDAS - the training available to minibus drivers
• Module C1: Supervising Children and Young People with Special Needs
  This includes supervising children and young people with learning difficulties, autism, physical disabilities, sensory restrictions and emotional or behavioural difficulties
• Module C2: Working with Adults Who Require Care and Supervision
  This includes adult passengers with learning difficulties, dementia, physical disabilities, sensory restrictions and people in mental or emotional distress

These modules are all designed to be delivered by a Passenger Assistant Trainer.

• There are also three other 'specialist' PATS modules: Because of their specialised nature these modules cannot be delivered by your Passenger Assistant Trainer. They will be available through specialist training providers:
  • Module D Emergency Aid
  • Module E Manual Handling
  • Module F Safely Managing Challenging Behaviour

   

Some questions answered

Q: Is PATS only for paid staff? What about volunteers?

A: PATS is for paid staff and volunteers. Each organisation has a duty of care - to volunteers as well as paid staff. So PATS training is equally relevant to volunteers.

Q: Is PATS relevant for drivers too?
A: Yes, especially if the driver also acts as passenger assistant, or where the driver and passenger assistant work together closely as a team.

Q: Can PATS modules be taken at different times?
A: Yes. Module A is the foundation module, the starting point for further training. A passenger assistant can add other modules at any time. For example, if they currently work with children with special needs but their job changes to include older people with dementia they will need to add module C2 to their existing modules A, B and C1.

Q: Do all of our existing passenger assistants have to be retrained to PATS standards?
A: This is recommended but is not a requirement of PATS membership. It is for your organisation to assess the training needs of your passenger assistants.

Q: If I recruit a passenger assistant who has already been PATS-trained by another organisation, do they need any further training?
A: You must accept their PATS certificate as evidence of the training they have received. But they will need some local familiarisation as their duties, procedures, vehicles and equipment may be different from where they worked before.

Q: How long will it take to train passenger assistants?
A: For the Passenger Assistant Trainer to deliver the modules to passenger assistants will take at least:

• Module A: 3 hours
• Module B: 2 hours 35 mins
• Module C1: 1 hour 20 mins
• Module C2: 1 hour 20 mins

These times exclude lunch and other breaks.

Q: How much will it cost?
A: Current costs are available by contacting Scarborough Dial A Ride

Q: Why should my organisation choose PATS?
A: PATS covers legal, practical and safety issues, presented in an easily understood form. It is a comprehensive training package, developed by experts in this field.

Q: Where can we have our course?
A: Courses can be held at your premises or at ours.  The choice is yours.