Just before the start of Busworld Kortrijk, a competition titled the European Coach and Bus Week (ECW) will be held on October 10 for the exhibition participants whose buses and coaches will be tested and evaluated at different levels of ecology, safety, comfort & ergonomics and styling & design.
Two years ago, the ECW focus was changed by the Board which wanted to provide insights into technological developments within the bus and coach industry and their possible impact on travel, in the widest sense. The Board wanted to reach out to different parties such as policy makers, bus and coach buyers, as well as customers who travel on the vehicles, and to highlight the innovative character of the industry that does not always get the attention it deserves.
As in previous years, there will be a Grand Award Coach and a Grand Award Bus because buses and coaches are designed for different functions and therefore have different levels and needs of safety, comfort, ecology and design.
In addition to the Grand Awards, ECW can offer Best of Category Labels in categories of safety, ecology, comfort, ergonomics, styling and design.
The manufacturers confirming their participation in ECW with coaches are Anadolu Isuzu, Kutsenits, MAN Truck & Bus, Setra (Daimler), Temsa, Van Hool and Volvo Buses. For buses the contestants are: BYD, Ebusco, Anadolu Isuzu, King Long and Yutong.
ECW is also open for exhibitors not producing vehicles. They can obtain an Innovation Label. The judges are looking for genuine new product innovations, as distinct from improvements and refinements to the existing designs.
Companies that have entered their application form so far are Actia, Eberspächer, Frenzel, Hella, Konvekta, Magna, Mayser, Robert Bosch, Saba Dinxperlo and Voith Turbo.