Volvo Buses
INDIA
Initiatives in areas of cycling, auto rickshaw and social enablement led by NGOs in Ahmedabad and Guwahati were declared finalists for the 4th Edition of the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards. The awards were handed over during the 6th edition of the Volvo Nobel Memorial Seminar on Sustainable Mobility.
The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards was instituted in 2011 by Volvo Buses in India with the aim to recognise outstanding efforts in the broad area of sustainable mobility. The 4th Edition of Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards attracted participation from stakeholders including NGOs/citizen groups, government organisations, consultancies, and students/student groups. This year the category of second runner up was added, with total prize money of INR 1.2 million.
Finalists of Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards 2014
The winner this year was Centre for Green Mobility for its project “Diu Bicycle Network Planning & Infrastructure Design”. The initiative was laid out with the prime objective of encouraging usage of bicycle, and supports it by providing a safe ‘Right of Way’ to cyclists. As a result of this initiative, the Union Territory of Diu is being presented as ‘India’s cycling destination’. The ultimate benefit from this project is protecting the environment. The current plan includes 30+ km of cycling track in Diu along with all the required infrastructure and systems - of which 4.2km has already been implemented.
G-Auto received the first runner up award for its initiative to organise the largest non-public mass transport system of India – auto rickshaw. It endeavours to empower the commuters with help of technology and at the same time train drivers that result into giving better life and enhanced income to the drivers. G-Auto has signed MoUs with East Delhi Municipal Corporation, Surat Police, Baroda Municipal Corporation and Rajkot Municipal Corporation for implementation of the project in the respective cities. The Government of India has formally recommended all the states of India to replicate the initiative in their states for the benefit of commuters.
The Centre for Rural Development (CRD) was adjudged second runner up for its project “Rickshaw Bank: A Lifeline for the Rickshaw Pullers”. The project is working with an objective to provide a puller with a newly designed rickshaw, besides providing social security, and training so that the rickshaw pullers community grow inclusively with dignity in India. The pilot phase of Rickshaw Bank was launched in Guwahati and was later it expanded to other areas in Assam & outside Assam too. The initiative is also being spearheaded in the cities like Varanasi, Allahabad and Lucknow and later handed over to the local organisations.
The jury also conferred Special Recognition to Corporation of Chennai for its entry titled “Chennai Street Design Project”. The Corporation intends a shift from car-centric development, to pedestrian-friendly and public transport-oriented mixed use development. Through this project, the Corporation aims to re imagine the city of Chennai as one that acknowledges that public spaces are for all users, not just for cars.
Akash Passey, Senior Vice President – Business Region International, Volvo Bus Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Volvo Buses in India, said, “I take this opportunity to congratulate all the participants, winners and runners up of Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards 2014. These projects reflect energy, commitment to sustainable mobility and a purpose that is an inspiration for all of us seeking to see a more sustainable world into the future. Sustainable Mobility entwines with Volvo’s mission to drive quality of life and we are glad we can showcase these excellent efforts through the awards”
VRV Sriprasad, Managing Director, Volvo Buses India said, “ The 4th edition of Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards witnessed project entries covering a range of topics in the area of sustainable mobility – cycling, rickshaws, driver training, fuel adulteration, pedestrian rights, bus transport systems, alternative technologies and many more. It is heartening to see the number of people who have chosen to spend their time and focus towards a better world. Equally heartening is to see that all three winning teams today come for relatively smaller cities. We hope that the awards this year will inspire more and more people to join in the efforts towards sustainable mobility.”
The entries were assessed by a jury consisting of subject matter experts from diverse areas. The jury for the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award 2013 were Prof. Geetam Tiwari, MoUD Chair and Professor for Transport Planning Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-Delhi; Vinay Rao, Independent Advisor on Climate Change and Sustainability; Madhav Pai, Director of EMBARQ India & Prof. Edward Jobson, Environment Director, Volvo Bus Corporation. Shri. MK Shankaralinge Gowda, Retired Principal Secretary, Government of Karnataka was the Chairman of the Jury. The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award carries reward money of INR 700,000 for the Winner; INR 3, 00,000 for the first Runner Up; and INR 200,000 for the second Runner Up.
For further information, please contact…
Sridhar Chari,
sridhar.chari@volvo.com
Meetali Saxena
+91 962 022 1540,
meetali.saxena@bm.com
About Volvo Buses in India
Volvo Buses has been in India since 2001 and has built a leading experience when it comes to high-performing bus applications. Volvo Buses has been driving the change in the industry introducing various firsts in India – including the true bus chassis concept, the low floor city bus concept, the multi-axle coaches, among a host of other technologies & concepts. This coupled with its state-of-the-art factory and overall profile of being a complete transport solutions provider, Volvo Buses is closely entwined with the progress in the Bus Industry. Volvo coaches today connect major cities across India, besides in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Volvo city buses operate in 13 cities in the country and have played a key role in Driving Quality of Life for millions of people. Volvo Buses in India has the widest range of high-performing buses. Globally, Volvo Bus is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of large buses and coaches. It is the first company in the world to commercially introduce hybrid buses and has sold over 1,000 buses with this technology in 21 countries, backed by its core values of safety, quality and care for the environment.