"An extraordinary adventure, a real chance" - that is how Mr. Ribeiro described his experience in China in September.
Fernand Ribeiro is a trainer at TVO Argenteuil, the public transport company of the Val d'Oise region north west of Paris, and he went to share his expertise in terms of eco-driving with Veolia Transport staff in Huaibei, China. Assisted by the site managers, other trainers and local human resources team, he worked on tailored training programs matching the local requirements. During his stay, Fernand Ribeiro also met Cédric Rigaud, former operations manager at TVO Argenteuil who now works for Veolia Transport in China. He was also pleased to meet welcoming people and to find out about contrasts in today's China, with the state-of-the-art city of Shangai facing the rapidly developing Huaibei.
In addition to the terrific amount of vehicles, even during off-peak hours, the traffic conditions are simply shocking: given that buses and trucks share the road with tricycles, rickshaws, cycles and pedestrians, professional and safe quality driving is a real challenge.