E-MAIL
Busworld India 2018 concluded successfully on the 31st of August at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bengaluru.
This eighth edition of Busworld India was a grand success in showcasing the near future of the bus & coach industry. The event witnessed the launch of many new vehicles, products and business tie-ups.
The three day exhibition saw participation by over 115 exhibitors including: Tata Motors, Force Motors, MG Automotive, Olectra Greentech & BYD, MRF, Bridgestone, JTAC, Valeo Motherson, Subros Ltd. among many others on a surface of 7,000 sqm.
International exhibitors from Germany, USA, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, China, Belarus, Korea, Austria and other countries presented their latest products and services. The show witnessed a footfall of over 8,000 business visitors.
MG Automotives launched three luxury coaches with a festive unveiling event. These included the 'Glider Seater' with 43 seats and the 'Glider Z' sleeper with 30
berths based on Bharat Benz chassis for the first time. Also the 'DreamZ', a luxury sleeper based on Mercedes multi axle chassis was unveiled at the same moment.
Thomas Fricke, Head of Daimler Buses India, was also present to enjoy this memorable moment.
"At MG, we consider Busworld as our strategic partner in providing us the right platform in showcasing our bus & coach range and capabilities to the right audience (OEM’s, Retailers, Dealers and Suppliers) and create a brand visibility across India and abroad. We are glad to share that footfalls at MG Pavillion was incredible since the first day of the event, and we are happy to close concrete orders for all our coach models displayed. In addition, we also had an opportunity to discuss strategic tie-ups with other suppliers for tech transfer and product innovation. We acknowledge the extended support provided by the Busworld team throughout the event and look forward to a grand showcasing at Busworld 2020!", said a statement by MG Automotives.
Force Motors unveiled India's first 33/41 seater monocoque bus, which marked its foray into the 'midibus' category. Other new vehicles on display were the Traveller Rural Bus, the Traveller T23350 and the Traveller 26AC CNG.
At the successful conclusion of Busworld India 2018, Mr Prasan Firodoa,
MD, Force Motors said: "We are delighted to have been part of this exhibition and are happy with the number of prospective customers who visited our stall and showed interest in our new monocoque offerings in the midibus segment".
Tata Motors showcased a total of five new public transport vehicles. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and advanced safety features, the new range of transport solutions on display were: the Starbus Ultra AC 22-Seater Push back, the Starbus 12-Seater AC Maxi cab, the Winger 12-Seater, the Tata 1515 MCV staff bus and the Magna intercity coach.
Prakash Automobiles launched a 45+1 seater bus called 'Prakash Vega' based on Ashok Leyland Chassis and a 30 berth Sleeper Coach 'Prakash Capella' based on Bharat Benz Chassis.
A clear new trend in Busworld India could not be ignored: The public transport system in India is getting more and more ready to electrify their bus fleet. Three exhibitors had a special focus on electric vehicles:
Olectra Greentech (formerly Goldstone Infratech) in collaboration with BYD China presented the only and first electric buses at Busworld India: a fully electric 11 seater maxi cab along with a 39 seater electric bus. Electrification is high on the agenda of the Indian public transport companies since the government decided that that all diesel buses should be replaced by electric buses by 2030. The potential is extremely attractive for all (electric) vehicle builders.
Belkommunmash from Belarus showcased the project of their electric buses and announced a probable entry in the Indian market through a partnership with a local company. In the light of the electric bus potential of the Indian market, this comes as no surprise.
Edison Electra develops electric buses in collaboration with the Chinese Chengdu Bus Company for the Indian market. They confirmed that they were very pleased with their sales results during the exhibition. They guaranteed a specific minimum average range per vehicle type. By allowing the buyer to return the vehicle if the range guarantee is not met, the buyer feels more confident to buy a first electric Edison Electra bus.
Busworld India 2018, saw participation of the entire spectrum of vehicle, body, ancillary and parts manufacturers, service providers, integrators and operators under one roof, such as:
Hidral Global from Spain with their electro hydraulic system based automated wheelchair ramps to make public transport more accessible for the elderly and disabled;
Agility Fuel Solutions from the USA with their high capacity, light weight, carbon fibre composite material who produce CNG storage systems which allow a better range of up to 800 kms for buses;
Fasching Safety Belts from Austria, with their renowned safety belts and new passenger seat monitoring system that prevents children from being left behind in hot school buses;
Hübner from Germany with their 'interface systems' that connect trolleybus coaches and help in manoeuvrability;
and Eberspächer and Valeo Motherson both originally from Germany with their latest HVAC system for buses & coaches.
Of course this is but a small selection of the numerous exhibitors that showcased their products and services. A complete overview is available on the Busworld India website.
The exhibition was powered by the Association of State Road Transport
Undertakings (ASRTU), the official national body of public transport operators in India representing 200,000 vehicles and supported by Bus Operators Confederation of India (BOCI), representing the private bus and coach operators with a fleet of 1,500,000 vehicles.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of BOCI was organised the first day of the exhibition and witnessed participation by 1,200 BOCI members from across India.
The ASRTU conference took place on the second day with topics like: 'Electrification of Public Transport', 'Digital Transaction towards efficient Public Transport System' and 'Accessible Public Transport for People With Disabilities (PWD)'.
Furthermore, the exhibition was also supported by industry bodies like the ‘International Centre for Automotive Technology’ (ICAT) and the ‘Automotive Research
Association of India’ (ARAI).
Mr. Didier Ramoudt, President of Busworld International, confirmed this: “Busworld
India 2018 broke all records during its eighth edition both on the level of visitors as well on the level of exhibitors. Also the co-operation with BOCI and ASRTU brought an added value to the exhibition. We look eagerly to our next edition and will keep on bringing the different national bus and coach industries together under one international roof, sharing knowledge, technology and networks!”
Feeling happy at the success of the exhibition, Mr. Rajan Sharma, MD, Interads Exhibitions Pvt Ltd said: "It’s an enormous pleasure to have such a wonderful response from everyone at this Busworld India. I consider this as a great success with a tremendous increase in the number of visitors as compared to last year. We congratulate all exhibitors to bring in their innovations and offerings at this platform for the betterment of the bus industry. See you all in the next edition in 2020 with much more to offer for comfort, safety and sustainability in the transport sector!".
The next edition of Busworld India takes place in August 2020 in Bengaluru.()