The first edition of the International B2B exhibition for the bus and coach sector only, Busworld Russia powered by Autotrans, was held during October 25-27 at Crocus Expo in Moscow. Busworld International and ITEMF, a member of Messe Frankfurt and ITE Group, jointly organised the show.
The show featured 51 exhibitors from eight countries presenting their latests products and developments on a surface of 4,700 sq. mtrs. of total exhibition space. A total of 3,458 professionals and more than 100 representatives of the media visited the show that provided an opportunity to see the latest models of buses as well as components of the largest domestic and foreign manufacturers – Kamaz, Nefaz, Gaz Group, Maz, Scania, MAN, King Long, Yutong, Webasto, Continental Automotive Rus, Voith, Continental Tyres Rus, Camozzi, Raba Axle and many others.
The organisers could count on the support of several official institutions like the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, International Road Transport Union (IRU), Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Russian Motor Transport Union, ROSAVTOTRANS, the Association of Russian Automakers (OAR), the Moscow City Department of Multicultural Policy, Interregional Cooperation and Tourism of Moscow, Association of European Businesses (AEB) and the Moscow City Department of Transport and Development of Road and Transportation Infrastructure.
The GAZ group presented buses for urban and suburban transportation – the medium-sized low-floor bus Gaz Kursor manufactured at the Likino bus plant and the small-sized bus Vector Next manufactured at the Pavlovo bus factory along with the new model of the latter designed for school children.
Kamaz demonstrated four vehicles – the electric omnibus of “second generation” Kamaz-6282 with a new interior and exterior drew the primary attention of the visitors. Kamaz also presented the 100% low-floor passenger citybus Nefaz 5299-40-51 powered by compressed natural gas (Euro-5), the half low floor Nefaz 52994-30-42 with the doors formula 1-2-0 and the passenger suburban coach Bravis with the Weichai engine corresponding to the Euro 5 level.
MAZ presented a new bus which is expected to be used for transportation of guests during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The bus is designed for the larger cities preparing for major events with a high passenger traffic. Among them are 11 Russian cities, which are to host the World Cup in two years. It is no coincidence that, after the bus show, the first Maz 231 will be transferred to Moscow in order to test it on the local routes. The tests are to be carried out by the Unitary enterprise Mostransavto, formerly responsible for transportation services at the Olympic Games in Sochi.
This specialty, like the former new models of Maz 231, measures 12 metres in length. The bus is characterized by its environmental sustainability as it is equipped with the Mercedes engine of the Euro 5 class and the ZF manual gearbox, which is more efficient on suburban and inter-city routes than an automatic gearbox.
MAN Truck and Bus RUS demonstrated the new suburban coach Lion’s Intercity at the exhibition. An optimum design, universal equipment and outstanding security features confirmed by the ECE R66.02 certificate and the inherent system ERA-GLONASS allows Lion’s Intercity to compete successfully in its segment. In addition, MAN served as a partner to the business program of the show.
Scania presented the following items on its display cases: the tourist coach Scania Touring and the intercity bus LiAZ-5251 Voyage, with a Scania chassis. The latter is intended for the intercity routes in suburban and intercity transportation.
King Long demonstrated its most popular tourist coach and the gas-powered variant of the bus XMQ6900 with the engine operating on the non-polluting fuel, black damp.
Another Chinese manufacturer, Yutong, presented the inter-city buses Yutong ZK6122H9 and Yutong ZK6938HB9.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Busworld Academy and IRU congress was organised. The Busworld Academy business platform offered the professionals and experts of the bus and coach industry, as well as the representatives of the governmental bodies, an opportunity to share their views and touch upon the wide range of relevant issues through the participation in the panel discussions and round-tables. Every day of the exhibition was devoted to a specific topic. All presentations can be downloaded on the Busworld Academy website.
Busworld International distinguished several participants at the annual Commercial Vehicle of the Year ceremony with Busworld awards. The best debut at the exhibition was awarded to King Long, the Best Russian bus of the exhibition to the electric omnibus Kamaz-6282 and the best foreign bus to Scania Touring. The representatives of these companies were given awards by Mr. Didier Ramoudt, President of Busworld International, at the 16th annual award ceremony of the “Commercial Vehicle of the Year in Russia”.
In all, the organisers are very happy with the results of this co-operation. Exhibitors confirmed their satisfaction with the number and quality of the visitors and their return to the next edition of Busworld Russia, which will be organised at the same venue, Crocus Expo, during October 23-25, 2018.