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MOTORINDIA
l
May 2012
benefit the institutional bus opera-
tors too.
The PPP model, in its various
forms, can be a useful route in im-
plementing successful transport
systems. We are already witness-
ing significant activity on various
aspects of public transport – metro
rail, mono rail, road infrastructure,
etc. Going forward, I do expect a
lot of traction in the bus industry.
With many of the State Govern-
ments/agencies cash strapped, sup-
port from private players will pro-
vide an impetus to this business.
Both the intercity coach and city bus
segments will benefit from the PPP
model as the trend will gather pace
in the coming years.
MI:
There has been growing
competition in the Indian bus seg-
ment. What measures are contem-
plated by Volvo to stay ahead of
competition?
AP:
Competition is always good
as it gives customers an opportu-
nity to compare products, costs and
ultimately business benefits from a
bus of their choice. In fact, competi-
tion helps us to get better returns on
the efforts we put into our products,
solutions and concepts. By not be-
ing the only player promoting the
said concepts we now will see more
voices and this will help expand the
market for all.
Of course, the establishment we
have set up in terms of our industrial
establishment, products, customer
relationship, market knowledge and
people will hold us in good stead at
the foundation. Most importantly,
we today have the richest experi-
ence in the country when it comes to
high-performing bus solutions.
The Indian bus industry has
evolved to a significant extent after
the advent of Volvo Buses in the
country. For the last four years or so,
we have seen a lot of traction with
the foray of new players into the In-
dian market. At the same time, the
current players have been upping the
ante by introducing new products.
At the foundation, our aim re-
mains simple. We plan to remain a
step ahead and, most importantly,
cover story