The winners of the fifth edition of the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards were announced at the Volvo Nobel Memorial Seminar 2015 in New Delhi. The recipients showcased their initiatives addressing issues like software solutions encouraging shared mobility options, city planning focused on traffic management & pedestrian safety, and Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) systems aimed at making public transport an attractive option.
Instituted in 2011 by Volvo Buses India, the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards aim to recognise outstanding efforts towards sustainable mobility. In its fifth year, it attracted participation from the metros and tier-1 cities to tier-3 cities. The topics ranged from traffic planning to BRT systems, to road safety to public health. The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards carries a total cash prize of Rs. 12 lakhs.
Mr. VRV Sriprasad, Managing Director, Volvo Buses India, said: “The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards has gained momentum since it was instituted in 2011. In its 5th Season, the awards have reached a threshold beyond which we see this becoming only bigger and better in future. This year’s submissions are not just about the solutions or ideas presented, but also about the urgency with which stakeholders are working to create better cities. At Volvo Buses, we are driven by our promise of Driving Quality of Life, and the initiatives from many stakeholders reflect this essence. I congratulate all the winners for their exemplary work and urge them to continue with their efforts to make a difference.”
The winner of the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards 2015 was Mapunity for its project ‘BusCloud’. The primary objective of the project was to develop and deploy cloud-hosted software technologies and tools to enable efficient operations of public bus services across the country.
The Center for Green Mobility, in partnership with the Ahmedabad Traffic Police, received the first runner-up award. Their initiative ‘The Crosswalk Lab’ aims at improving traffic management on city roads and pedestrian safety at junctions.
ArriveSAFE was adjudged the second runner-up for its project ‘Advocacy against drunk-driving’. The objective of the initiative was to reduce road accidents occurring due to driving under the influence of poppy, a drug which drivers of commercial vehicles consume in order to stay alert. This project also worked as a social awareness programme to prevent the practice of consuming poppy.
The jury also conferred Special Recognitions for outstanding contribution to Sustainable Mobility on Rainbow BRT, Pune, and IBUS BRTS, Indore.
The ‘Rainbow BRT’ is a joint initiative by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd., Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. It aims to reduce reliance on personal motorized vehicles for people’s daily commute by offering a true mass rapid transit system that provides high quality, rapid, predictable and reliable, safe and attractive public transport to the masses.
Atal Indore City Transport Services’ (AICTSL) IBUS BRTS Indore was set up in 2006 with the aim of regulating and monitoring public transport services in the city. By employing an innovative PPP model, AICTSL started city bus services and presently has about 100 city buses that cater to about one lakh passengers per day, which is approximately four per cent of the total trips.
The entries were assessed by a jury consisting of subject matter experts from diverse areas. The jury members for the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award 2015 were Prof. Geetam Tiwari, MoUD Chair & Professor for Transport Planning at the Department of Civil Engineering, and Co-ordinator TRIPP, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Mr. Amit Bhatt, Strategy Head – Integrated Urban Transport, EMBARQ India, Mr. Vinay Rao, Independent Advisor on Climate Change and Sustainability, and Prof. Edward Jobson, Environmental Director, Volvo Bus Corporation.