An ArriveSAFE and Mumbai Environmental Social Network (MESN) were declared winners of the third edition of Volvo Sustainable 
Mobility Award at the Volvo Nobel Memorial Seminar 2013 held in Bangalore recently, while ECOCABS was declared the runner-up for a unique initiative that combined sustainable mobility and social empowerment. The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) and EMBARQ India were given special recognitions for their work in the area of sustainable mobility.
The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award was instituted in 2011 by Volvo Buses in India with the aim of recognising outstanding efforts in the broad area of sustainable mobility. The third edition of the Award attracted entries from a cross-section of stakeholders comprising citizen groups, consultancies, institutions and student groups. Importantly, the entries addressed a multitude of problems in the area of sustainable mobility and presented solutions that were aimed at improving the quality of life of people.
The winning entries for this year were: “To Reduce the Number of Road Crashes Due to Drunken Driving” taken by ArriveSAFE and “Making Bus Stops in Mumbai Intelligent and Informative for Passengers by MESN”.
ArriveSAFE’s entry is aimed at reducing the number of road crashes due to drunken driving in Punjab and Haryana. These States earn a handsome revenue through liquor sale. ArriveSAFE will be partnering with Government bodies to make a road map for effective enforcement to check drunken driving, develop content for educational awareness purpose and guide the enforcement agencies on how to conduct awareness campaigns for the public.
Making bus stops in Mumbai intelligent
The initiative by MESN is to improve the bus system and increase its ridership. It has successfully installed route maps for the Kalanagar Junction in Mumbai, which the passengers found extremely informative and useful. It also plans to install similar bus route maps at railway stations, so that passengers can know of the destinations served by buses from that particular railway station. Apart from these, MESN is examining if it is possible to go beyond and see how real time arrival of information on the next bus can be provided at the bus stop and on the users’ mobile phone.
Mr. Akash Passey, Senior Vice President – Business Region International, Volvo Bus Corporation, and Chairman of the Board of Volvo Buses in India, said: “It’s truly heartening to see the number of individuals and groups that are making an effort to make our cities a better place to live in. These are people often working in the background, making special efforts, and we are glad to be able to recognize them through the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award. Sustainable mobility is intrinsic to the concepts and solutions that Volvo Buses offers and we know that this vision can best be fulfilled through collaboration. I am glad we can participate with people with passion, faith and belief in the future. My congratulations to the winnners and thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s edition of the Awards.
Mr. Manish Sahi, Managing Director of Volvo Buses in India, observed: “It is heartening to note that the efforts in the area of sustainable mobility are not just limited to the bigger cities. This year we received entries like BRTS, pedestrian safety, cycling, urban planning, etc. from stakeholders working in tier-2 cities. Volvo Buses is committed to promoting sustainable mobility across India and this Award will help in nurturing more and more ideas from various stakeholders.”