Ashok Leyland India Bus Awards 2018 – Outstanding performers rewarded

Apollo Tyres India Bus Safety Awards 2018 recognizes torchbearers of safety

Great efforts deserve great recognition. On 6 & 7 July 2018, the outstanding performers of the Indian bus & coach sector were honored with two of the most coveted and prestigious awards at the Ashok Leyland India Bus Awards 2018 and the Apollo Tyres India Bus Safety Awards 2018 held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The two-day awards function was very well attended with many leading personalities from the bus and transport fraternity gracing the occasion and extending their active participation.

The winners of the Ashok Leyland India Bus Awards 2018 posing with their trophies at the award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur

An initiative of Bus Alliance India Pvt. Ltd. which runs the popular online bus ticketing platform Abhibus.com and powered by leading home-grown tyre manufacturer Apollo Tyres, the Ashok Leyland India Bus Awards recognizes the spirit of innovation and excellence in the country’s bus ecosystem and throws the much-deserved limelight on some of the hidden champions who work tirelessly to improve the standard of mass passenger transport in the country. The Apollo Tyres India Bus Safety Awards, an off-shoot of the India Bus Awards, emphasizes the need for uncompromising safety in bus transport and rewards the stakeholders who stand as torchbearers for safety.

In the fourth edition of the Ashok Leyland India Bus Awards, which were introduced in 2015, awards were conferred in a number of categories including Excellence in Bus Transport Service, Environmental Initiative, Marketing Initiative, Employee Welfare and Technology Adoption, among others. The Apollo Tyres India Bus Safety Awards, in its second edition, rewarded different players ranging from School & Corporate Operators, Private Fleet Operators & State Transport Undertakings (STUs).

On day one, the India Bus Awards were presented in the presence of Chief Guest Mr. Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General, Tourism Malaysia and Mr. Manoharan, Director, Tourism Malaysia, who was the Guest of Honour. On the second day, the India Bus Safety Awards were given away by Chief Guest Mr. Uzaidi Udanis, President, Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association & Malaysia Tourism Council.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Biju Mathews, Director, Bus Alliance India, and COO, Abhibus.com, said: “A journey that began four years ago with a singular objective to reward excellence in the Indian bus industry continues its mission in its fourth edition to reward excellence and recognizing innovation. Today the Ashok Leyland India Bus Awards have become the most awaited and tried awards in the bus industry.”

The young and dynamic Abhibus team

Sharing his remarks on the India Bus Safety Awards, Mr. Sudhakar Reddy, CEO, Abhibus.com, said: “We firmly believe that safety is a shared responsibility between manufacturers, operators, passengers and the general public. In the second edition of the Apollo Tyres India Bus Safety Awards, we are happy to recognize the fleet operators, both government and private, who maintain high safety standards in their operations.”

Ernst & Young, LLP were the official tabulators who validated the processes for the awards. A total of 450 nominations were received from 250 private fleet operators, 50 entries from STUs and six nominations from top bus body builders in the country.

‘We are very happy that the India Bus Awards has grown leaps and bounds’

– Mr. Jalaj Gupta, VP – Global Bus, Ashok Leyland

We spoke to Mr. Jalaj Gupta, VP – Global Bus, Ashok Leyland on the OEM’s association with the India Bus Awards and the four-year journey so far.

Excerpts:

On Ashok Leyland’s patronage for the India Bus Awards

To my knowledge, there aren’t any other institutionalized awards in the Indian bus industry. Ashok Leyland (AL) has always been at the forefront when it comes to recognizing performers be it in the form of association with Abhi Bus for these awards or supporting Prawaas organized by BOCI where we were the first OEM to confirm participation. As India’s largest bus manufacturer, it is important for us to get associated with anybody who is genuinely interested to promote the overall welfare of the bus industry. We are very happy that the India Bus Awards have reached this level and grown leaps and bounds in four years’ time.

On the Awards’ progress over four editions

For the first edition or two, the focus was more about making people aware of the awards. But as the awards have progressed, competition has become stiff in both the STU and private fleet categories. We have heard nominees say ‘We must win this award next year’, which indicates we are heading in the right direction. We still have scope for improvement – perhaps the award categories could be pre-fixed so that participants get better clarity from one edition to another and may be the number of awards could be trimmed a bit. We have come a long way and still have a long way to go as we march ahead.

On AL’s role in the bus industry

As the market leader, AL has taken the responsibility of introducing products & technologies that are ahead of their time. The key is to anticipate what our customers would need in the future and not just what they need today. Once we understand their needs, we can work towards suitable solutions. We have a responsibility to upgrade the overall bus industry which we are doing through various initiatives.

‘Everybody needs to take that extra step forward to drive safety’

– Mr. Rajat Kataria, Category Head, Marketing – CV, Apollo Tyres

Mr. Rajat Kataria, Category Head, Marketing – Commercial Vehicles, Apollo Tyres tells us about his company’s penchant for safety and hence its association with the India Bus Safety Awards.

Excerpts:

On Apollo Tyres’ decision to drive the India Bus Safety Awards

The bus segment is a very critical one given the kind of investment happening on the infrastructure front and the steep rise we see in people transportation. Within the bus segment, we expect smaller buses and school buses to be the main growth drivers. To build a perception and to stand on a platform of safety is very critical for us as an organization. Safety is an aspect we have undertaken as a key focus area internally as well to be driven within our internal and external stakeholders, which is why we have partnered Abhibus for the India Bus Safety Awards.

On the Indian market’s changing mind-set towards safety

The mind-set towards safety is changing big time. The vehicle manufacturers are taking a lot of steps to ensure safety features are incorporated in buses. We as tyre manufacturers are also looking at safety as one of the main factors to drive our products in the market. Things will take time to change because we need to drive safety at various levels – one is from a product perspective, the other is from a critical target group – the drivers. Everybody needs to take that extra step forward to drive safety in their own businesses.

On his experience at the Awards event

This is my first experience at the Awards event and it has been a fantastic one. I did not expect such a large gathering of key personalities from the bus industry including the STUs and large, medium and small private fleet operators. I am delighted with the response and look forward to the next edition.

INDIA BUS AWARDS 2018 – WINNERS

  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (East) – Mid & Large fleet: CITY SERVICES
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (North) – Mid fleet: BAKSHI TRANSPORT SERVICE (P) LTD.
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (North) – Large fleet: INTERCITY TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (West) – Mid fleet: GUJARAT TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (West) – Large fleet: PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (South) – Mid fleet: JABBAR TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (South) – Large fleet: SHRI BHAGIYALAKSHMI TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (School) – Mid fleet: CONTI TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (School) – Large fleet: ROYAL TOURIST
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (Corporate) – Mid fleet: ROYAL TOURIST
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (Corporate) – Large fleet: SRS TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Environmental Initiative (2018) Private: ARASU TRANSPORTS
  • Excellence in Environmental Initiative (2018) Public: TELANGANA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Excellence in Marketing Initiative (2018) Private: PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD.
  • Excellence in Marketing Initiative (2018) Public: ANDHRA PRADESH STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Excellence in Employee Welfare (2018) Private: ARASU TRANSPORTS
  • Excellence in Employee Welfare (2018) Public: ANDHRA PRADESH STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Excellence in Use of Technology (2018) Private: PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD
  • Excellence in Use of Technology (2018) Public: UTTAR PRADESH STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Excellence in Bus Body Building (2018) Private: SANATAN BUS BODY BUILDERS P. LTD.
  • Top Bus Driver (2018) Private: Rahul Jangid, GUJARAT TRAVELS
  • Top Bus Driver (2018) Government: Ramdas Ganpat Pawarq, MAHARASHTRA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Excellence in Empathy for Travelers with Disability (2018): DELHI TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • State/ City Bus Association of India (2018): ALL OMNI BUS OWNERS & OPERATORS ASSOCIATION
  • Young Manager of the Year in Bus Transport (2018) Operations – Male: AKSHATH D RAO – NEW MORNING STAR TRAVELS & SAURABH SHETTY – CITIZEN TRAVELS MUMBAI
  • Young Manager of the Year in Bus Transport (2018) Operations – Female: Ajita – Sai Krishna Travels
  • Leadership in Bus Transport (2018) Female: Shilpa Patel – Shrinath Travels Agency
  • Leadership in Bus Transport (2018) Private – Male: PRASANNA PATWARDHA, PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD.
  • Leadership in Bus Transport (2018) Public – Male: G.V.RAMANARAO, TELANGANA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Jury Awards for Promising Large STU (2018): MAHARASHTRA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Jury Awards for Promising Mid-Size STU (2018): JAMMU & KASHMIR ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Jury Awards (Operator) for Passenger First Initiatives (State) (2018): KARNATAKA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Jury Awards – Go Electric for a Cleaner & Greener Fleet (Govt) (2018): HIMACHAL PRADESH ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Jury Awards (Operator) for Best Passenger App (Govt) (2018): ANDHRA PRADESH ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Jury Awards (Operator) For Passenger First Initiatives (2018): KALLADA TOURS & TRAVELS
  • Jury Awards for Promising Large Pvt. Operator (2018): KAVERI KAMAKSHI TRAVELS
  • Jury Awards (Operator) For Best Passenger App (Pvt) (2018): ORANGE TOURS & TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (PAN India) – Mid fleet: HIMALAYAN NOMAD (K.T.C)
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Private (PAN India) – Large fleet: VRL LOGISTICS LIMITED
  • Excellence in Bus Transport (2018) Public (State Transport): UTTAR PRADESH STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION

INDIA BUS SAFETY AWARDS 2018 – WINNERS

  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) Private (North & East): BAKSHI TRANSPORT SERVICE PVT. LTD.
  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) Private (South): ARASU TRANSPORTS
  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) Private (West): PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD.
  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) School: SCHOOL BUS OWNERS ASSOCIATION
  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) Corporate: PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD.
  • Jury Awards Top Driver – High Terrain (2018): MUTHUMANI.G, PARVEEN TRAVELS PRIVATE LIMITED
  • Jury Awards Top Driver – Fuel Economy (2018): P.KESAVAN PARAMASIVAM, SHRI BHAGIYALAKSHMI TRAVELS
  • Jury Awards Excellence for Sustainable Journeys (2018) Private: KALLADA TOURS & TRAVELS
  • Jury Awards Excellence for Sustainable Journeys (2018) Public: MAHARASHTRA STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Jury Awards Excellence for Commitment To Road Safety (2018) Private: KAVERI KAMAKSHI TRAVELS
  • Jury Awards Excellence for Commitment To Road Safety (2018) Public: RAJASTHAN STATE ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) Private (Pan India): ORANGE TOURS & TRAVELS
  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) Public City Transport: BANGALORE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORT CORPORATION
  • Excellence in Bus Safety Measures (2018) Public State Transport: NORTH EASTERN KARNATAKA ROAD TRANSPORT CORPORATION