Commercial vehicle market leader Tata Motors has been proactive in coming up with new technology and advanced features in school buses. The company has a strong line-up of products under its ‘Skool’ bus range and offers options such as ‘Tata SKOOLMAN’, a telematics-based tracking solution, supported by many other first-ever schemes in the segment. Mr. Sandeep Kumar, Business Head, CV – Passenger, Tata Motors Ltd., shares details on his company’s presence in, and plans for the segment.
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Tata Motors’ unique strengths
Tata Motors’ approach to bus manufacturing, including its school buses, meets the Governments new norms in terms of body building accreditation – Automotive Industry Standards (AIS), making our bus better built, hence safer and comfortable and also enabling us to adapt and innovate with newer technologies, including those for Smart Cities. The Bus Body Code specifies certain aspects of how a bus is to be built in terms of space between seats, low steps for easier entry and exit into the bus, a mandated roll-over test, NVH and other stipulated standards related to safety, design and comfort.
Fully-built buses from Tata Motors are a hallmark of excellence and have been designed with top quality standards in mind. These represent the synergy between intricate craftsmanship and mass production. The company recognises customer needs and thus manufactures completely ready-to-use, off-the-shelf products which are far more reliable compared to offerings from privates body builders, due mainly to the adoption of rigorous testing and development standards.
Tata Motors is a leading player in the school bus segment, and we foresee ourselves consolidating our position across segments of school buses by focusing on safety, comfort and reduction in total cost of ownership for the bus operator. Recognizing the importance of school transit, the company school buses also incorporate numerous essential features that ensure a completely secure journey. Tooth-guards, semi-sliding windows, door with alarm and anti-skid floors are some of the most important child-safety features incorporated in Tata Motors’ school buses. Thus does not leave any room for worry.
Tata Motors has also devised ‘the Safest School Bus concept’, a school bus with technology as the backbone, incorporating GPS and ITS systems, including CCTV cameras for added safety.
With the Bus Body Code bringing quality and safety to the fore, our market share consolidation will be backed by our strength in bus body building through Tata Marcopolo, a company formed though partnership with Marcopolo of Brazil, and ACGL, a subsidiary of Tata Motors. No other OEM in India has such collaborations giving Tata Motors unique capabilities to offer differentiated value offerings for customers.
Product range
Tata Motors’ ‘Skool’ buses are available in a wide range, a suitable choice for all – the school authorities, fleet owners, parents and the children. From 16-seaters to 52-seaters, both AC and non-AC vehicles are available in diesel and CNG options conforming to the BS III and BS IV norms.
FY14-15 sales numbers and geographical presence
In FY14-15, we sold approximately 8,000 fully-built school buses, apart from almost 6,000 chassis, many of which were used for making school buses by the local body builder. We have a strong presence across the country; especially in those markets where sensitivity towards quality and safety is much higher.
Addressing growing market demands
Safety is of paramount importance to Tata Motors, and we understand the concerns of parents who entrust the security of their children with the school bus staff, every day.
In January 2015, we launched ‘Tata SKOOLMAN’, a telematics-based tracking solution aimed at addressing the pressing concerns over student safety during school bus travel. Tata SKOOLMAN is a standard fitment in the Tata Ultra range of school buses. It will also available for fitment on other models of school buses in the aftermarket.
Besides providing a host of safety features, Tata SKOOLMAN also makes it convenient for parents to track the arrival and departure of their children in real time (through SMS alerts), live tracking on a map or via a mobile phone application. It also provides an effective fleet management tool for schools/bus fleet operators to plan bus routes better and manage their school bus fleet more effectively.
Taking the initiative of school bus safety forward, Tata Motors also launched the all-new ‘Ultra BS3 – Safe School Bus’ equipped with Tata SKOOLMAN at the SIAM Bus & Special Vehicle Show 2015.
Besides technology, we have also worked with all stake-holders involved in school bus travel (students, parents and school bus attendants), to sensitize them towards accident prevention and tackling emergency situations through various School Bus Safety programs like Dream it to Win it and ‘Hamare Bus Ki Baat Hai’.
As market leader in the school bus segment, we foresee ourselves consolidating our position across segments of school buses by focusing on safety, comfort and reduction in total cost of ownership for the bus operator. With the Bus Body Code bringing quality and safety to the fore, our market share consolidation will be backed by our strength in bus body building through collaborations with Marcopolo, a leader in bus body building across the globe, with very strong design capabilities, and ACGL, a popular body builder in India. No other OEM in India has such collaborations that give Tata Motors a unique capability of using the strength of the Marcopolo and ACGL to offer differentiated value offerings for customers.
Market outlook
The school bus segment is currently witnessing an upswing in demand. We expect the school bus business to grow 5-10 per cent in the current financial year as compared to last year.
With the implementation of the Bus Body Code, there is likely to be an increase in bus body manufacturing from OEMs. We are also seeing an increase in the number of schools and a growing demographic of people in the age group of 20-30 years. These key factors, along with an outlook for structured urbanization (Smart Cities) are likely to drive the growth of the school bus segment.
