The Chilean Minister of Transport inaugurates the first driving simulator dedicated to electric buses

Chile is the leading country in Latin America in the development of electromobility, the aim of which is to move towards more sustainable cities, where public passenger transport plays a key role. This is why the National Electromobility Strategy sets the goal that by 2040, 100% of public transport will have zero emissions, no less than 18,000 buses throughout the country. Santiago de Chile is making steady progress towards this goal and currently has the largest fleet of electric buses operating for urban passenger transport in Latin America. It currently has 800 electric buses since the first ones began to circulate on the streets of Santiago in 2018. And this milestone does not stop there: in 2022, 1,000 more electric buses will be incorporated into the Metropolitan Mobility Network (www.red.cl).

While incorporating large fleets of electric buses and their associated infrastructure is crucial to making progress in the implementation of electromobility, it is no less important to take care of the human capital that has to make them work as efficiently as possible. Thanks to the Institute of Transport Management (www.igtchile.cl) and Corporación Nueva Ciaspo (www.nuevaciaspo.cl), both organisations dedicated to the training and education of transport professionals, the first electric bus driving simulator in Latin America is now available at the institute's headquarters in Santiago so that professional driving students can enhance their skills and expertise with regard to the challenges of electromobility.

The simulator was inaugurated on 14 June. The event was attended by the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications (www.mtt.gob.cl) Juan Carlos Muñoz, together with the director of Metropolitan Public Transport (www.dtpm.cl) Paola Tapia. They gave a presentation of the simulator's features:

“The aim of this type of tool is for drivers who go through this experience to drive more safely, have fewer accidents, and at the same time to drive in an energy-efficient manner. In this way, we will be fulfilling the goals that we at the MTT are outlining in terms of sustainability and road safety for the system,” said the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications.

“Electromobility is also an opportunity for more women to join the system. Today only 5.7% of the 15,500 public transport drivers in Santiago are women, so it represents an employment opportunity and a chance for them to gain technical knowledge,” said Metropolitan Public Transport Director Paola Tapia.

At a time when there is a high demand for transport professionals, IGT and Nueva Ciaspo will comprehensively train 600 new drivers for the public transport network. Thanks to this innovative technological tool, IGT and Nueva Ciaspo will continue to be at the forefront of training in Chile. As they did in 2012 when they brought the first Total Immersion Simulator (TIS) to Chile with LANDER and had it certified by the MTT to validate practical hours for obtaining driving licences in the A3 (buses) and A5 (lorries) categories.

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