New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS): Online cab-hailing firm Uber on Tuesday announced its partnership with Apollo Hospitals to implement a road safety training programme for its driver-partners in 29 cities across the country.

Uber made the announcement at an interactive session on road safety organised by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here. 

"The partnership with Apollo Hospitals will allow everyone on the Uber platform to develop the competence for providing essential first-aid and medical assistance to those in need," said Shweta Rajpal Kohli, Head of Public Policy, Uber India, in a statement.

A series of training videos on handling road accidents will help driver-partners handle such situations better. The training will be provided in English and one regional language. 

In addition to the online training, doctors from Apollo Hospitals will conduct two-week training sessions at the partner support centres in Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai over the next few weeks and certify driver-partners who successfully complete the training. 

"In each of these centres, Apollo will equip Ubers with first-aid medical kits to enable over 8,000 driver-partners to provide medical assistance to riders in times of need," the statement said.

Uber will also reach out to its rider and driver base to spread awareness about the safety guidelines.