For the Indian bus industry, the introduction of two regulations with effect from April 1, 2015, aimed at imparting greater vehicle safety and comfort marks a major milestone. They are the Bus Body Code and the mandate to make ABS standard for commercial vehicles. According to Volvo Buses, the company has started delivering vehicles as per the new regulations. It has already been adhering to ABS as standard in its entire product range since 2005.
The Bus Body Code envisages safer bus travel experience by mandating several features, including active safety, passive safety and personal security solutions in the form of driver and passenger awareness, as well as information items and tools specially designed for use in the event of an emergency. The mandate to make ABS a standard feature in commercial vehicles has far-reaching implications for road safety.
Mr. VRV Sriprasad, Managing Director, Volvo Buses India, said: “The implementation of the Bus Body Code is an important landmark for the bus industry. Volvo Buses believes that the regulations will help in raising the benchmarks for safety and comfort, which will benefit scores of drivers and millions of passengers. Volvo was the first company to introduce ABS as a standard and the implementation of this rule is a welcome step. The cumulative impact of the Bus Body Code and ABS will help enhance overall safety standards.”
India ranks among the top 10 countries in terms of fatalities in road accidents involving a high percentage of commercial vehicles. The changes ushered in through these new regulations will help in curbing road accidents.
“At Volvo Buses, we will continue to bring in new technologies and features, while continuing to emphasise making good drivers even better at out Driver Training Centre. It is our strong belief that safety begins with driver behaviour and best practices. Volvo has trained close to 60,000 drivers till date, which includes about 26,000 bus drivers alone. This gives us confidence to focus more on preventing accidents”, Mr. Sriprasad added.