The 5th edition of Busworld India showcased the huge potential of the Indian bus industry as it turned out to be a big success, attracting over 2,600 visitors from the bus fraternity. The three-day show held in Mumbai during February 1-3 provided a perfect platform for bus/coach builders, component suppliers and technology providers to make interesting new launches and exhibit the latest products and technologies. The theme of this year’s event was ‘Gearing up for a Sustainable Public Transportation System’ with a focus on fuel efficiency, ITS and hybridisation.
Busworld International has a vision: it wants to improve the bus and coach industry throughout the world by creating a sales platform and also by creating a platform for discussion. The inaugural session of the event provided interesting viewpoints from the speaker panel which included international experts as well as Indian veterans and officials. There were also sessions focused on safety, fire safety and school bus, sustainable and modern bus and coach mobility in India.
The show had four main vehicle exhibitors who were the four focal points at the event. Global heavyweight Scania completed its foray into the Indian bus market with the unveiling of the Metrolink inter-city coach. Three models of the Scania Metrolink presented at the show attracted large visitor attention. ACGL (Automobile Corporation of Goa Ltd.) presented seven coaches, all of which were sold within an hour of inauguration of the show, reflecting the market demand for its buses. Also in the limelight was Deccan Auto, a new venture aimed at tapping the luxury bus segment in the country. Corona Bus, pioneer of monocoque technology in India, displayed its Skypak city bus.
One of the most important segments at the show was bus air-conditioning, which saw leading players vying for OEM attention. A host of other component suppliers were present at the show during which a lot of innovative products and technologies were displayed. From a visitor perspective, the show pulled in leading private fleet operators and STU representatives from across the country who kept the exhibitors engaged throughout the three-day period.
The official Belgian delegation of Busworld International went on a tour of the exhibition to thank the exhibitors for their presence and to speak with them personally about their experiences at Busworld India 2013. The feedback tour reflected an impressive average exhibitor satisfaction rate of 95 per cent.
Company updates
Gibraltar
“Like in previous editions, Busworld 2013 provided an excellent platform for interacting with and meeting a large cross-section of the burgeoning population of bus manufacturers, fleet owners, distributors and dealers, as well as those associated with the services and spares part of the industry. The growth of the bus industry on the whole has enabled and ensured sustainability of the growth figures in the sector”, says Mr. Arnob Guha, Deputy General Manager (Product Development), Gibraltar.
Gibraltar, the only Indian company to start manufacturing air springs in India with a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, testing centre and R&D laboratory, received very good response from the large number of national and international visitors and participants, including OEMs and private fleet operators, at the show owing to its quality product and competitive pricing. “With our manufacturing facility all set to start commercial production from next month, a platform such as Busworld, to reinforce the faith reposed in the industry, serves the purpose of building confidence and giving our growth story a cumulative direction”, adds Mr. Guha.
Hübner
Hübner, leading articulation system supplier, exhibited Articulation type 21.0 designed for Pusher articulation system. The Hübner stand was present near Corona Bus to whom it has supplied the first pusher articulation system in India. The company is setting up a facility in Dabaspet near Bangalore.
With the number of BRT systems in India likely to increase in the coming years, Hübner is keen on tapping the huge potential for articulated buses in-store in the Indian bus segment.
ICAT
“ICAT is one of the supporters of Busworld. The response from the industry was very good, which was very encouraging and informative for us. The event gave us a better idea of the needs of the industry in this field of testing, validation and certification. From a viewpoint of future regulations, the event was a very good initiative and we are proud to have been a part of it. The queries received by us at the event were also very helpful in enabling us serve the future needs of the industry.”
– Mr. Pawan K Thakur