Chennai road show draws huge gathering of fleet operators
Busworld, in co-operation with its Indian partners, InterAds and the Bus Operators Confederation of India (BOCI), organized a road show in Chennai for the upcoming Busworld India 2018, the eighth edition of the biannual professional bus and coach exhibition, to be held at BIEC in Bangalore from August 29 to 31. The show will be powered by the two major bus operator associations in India – the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU), the official national body of public transport operators in India, and BOCI representing the private bus and coach operators.
The Chennai road show attracted close to 300 participants from across Tamil Nadu, with bus, coach, stage carrier, maxi cab and taxi operators gathering at the State capital to know more about what they stand to gain by being present at Busworld India.
The BOCI core committee members, including Mr. K.T. Rajashekhara, BOCI Chairman, and CMD, SRS Travels, Mr. Prasanna Patwardhan, BOCI President, and CMD, Prasanna Purple, Mr. Mohammed Afzal, General Secretary, BOCI, and CMD, Parveen Travels, Mr. Harsh Kotak, BOCI Treasurer, Mr. D. Maran, Joint Treasurer, BOCI, and MD, Sri Bhagyalakshmi Travels, and Mr. Kanwarjit Singh Sawhney, VP – Employee Transport, BOCI, and MD, Bakshi Transport, were on the dais, along with Mr. Rajan Sharma, President, InterAds, and senior management members of Ashok Leyland, the principal sponsor of the road show.
Addressing the audience, Mr. Prasanna Patwardhan highlighted the committed efforts of BOCI to improve the standards of public transport in the country and the pivotal role the bus operators’ body has played in partnering the Government to ensure the right decisions are taken, keeping the welfare of all stakeholders in mind. He touched upon issues such as passing of bills to permit sleeper coaches, double-decker buses and articulated buses to be plied on Indian roads, the push for national permit for buses, and reduction in GST from 18% to 5% for the bus & coach sector.
He also lauded the team work and joint co-operation of its members and reiterated that the coming together of bus operators on such a large scale signalled a bright future for the industry.
Apart from highlighting the work done by BOCI and its contribution to the welfare of the bus industry, the speakers urged the audience to visit Busworld India as it would provide a great platform to understand global technology trends, know about India-specific solutions, get a first-hand feel of new products and exchange ideas with peers from the industry.
Mr. Rajan Sharma, InterAds President, made a detailed presentation on Busworld, its global leadership in bus & coach exhibitions, the list of key bus & coach builders who would be participating in the upcoming edition of Busworld India, and added his personal note of welcome to the gathering to attend the Bangalore fair.
Some of the bus and coach builders who have confirmed participation in Busworld India 2018 include Tata Motors (platinum sponsor), MG Group, Force Motors, Goldstone Infratech, S.M. Kannappa and OJSC Holding Management Company of Belarus. Apart from vehicle makers, leading brands from the component and technology service-provider space will be presenting a host of interesting products and innovative solutions that would form an integral part of the future of mass mobility and public transportation in the country.