How we Work - TRM
Despite the internal combustion engine having existed for over a hundred years, the lack of infrastructure and the conditions that prevail in Africa have led many people to conclude that vehicles are doomed in such an environment. Without proper maintenance, even the hardiest of vehicles will last for maybe a year, but then it will break unpredictably, expensively and, eventually, fatally.
So if Africa has no comprehensive conventional, commercial infrastructure for the maintenance and management of vehicles, then you have to invent one. Drawing on their knowledge and experience from the world of motorcycling, the founders of Riders for Health developed Transport Resource Management (TRM) – a system for managing the vehicles, the people and the money involved in the delivery of health care and other vital services. It incorporates training in safe riding and driving skills, together with daily preventive maintenance procedures – supported by Riders' technicians who provide regular servicing.
Preventive maintenance
It is inevitable that using vehicles costs money -- it is a suprisingly costly undertaking. But since the use of vehicles is fundamental to the delivery of health care and other vital services in Africa, Riders’ focus has always been to manage this cost effectively and, in doing so, safeguard the benefit to the people in need.
However, it was clear from day one that this would only be possible if vehicles could be serviced to a level at which they don’t break down. If vehicles are allowed to deteriorate below this level, a substantial cost for repair has to be met without warning.
Preventive maintenance, therefore, is the key to TRM. A network of trained local technicians ensures the timely delivery of replacement parts, and provides regular maintenance for the vehicles. Riders’ teams work on an ‘outreach basis’, travelling out to service the vehicles in the locations in which they run. This means that health workers don’t waste valuable time and resources bringing their vehicles into a garage for servicing, and can spend more time in their communities.
‘There are no breakdowns if you maintain the vehicles on a regular basis. You fix the problems early.’ Riders for Health technician, Zimbabwe.
Cost per kilometre
The exact cost of running a vehicle within the TRM system is worked out using Riders’ cost-per-kilometre calculator, which takes into account all the costs of running a vehicle – from replacement parts and fuel to maintenance and logistics costs. This means that our partners can budget accordingly over the life of the vehicle, conserving vital resources that can then be spent directly on achieving their aims.
The benefits of TRM
Thanks to the preventive maintenance provided by TRM, over 1000 vehicles of all kinds – motorcycles, trucks, cars and ambulances – are now running perfectly across Africa, meeting the health care needs of over 10 million people.
'We have had vehicles that just stop working after one year. One year and that’s it. Under TRM they keep working for three years or more.' Director of Planning, Department of State for Health, the Gambia.
Find out more
For more information about the difference Riders’ programmes are making in Africa, click here.
For more details about the TRM system, click here.