DAILY NEWSPAPER Busworld Kortrijk Saturday October 17, 2015
Conference on improving the image of buses and coaches
Bus needs to be more attractive to young people
The problem of buses has to do with
their image, but also with an incorrect
perception by the general public. Bus
and coach companies have conceptually
skipped two generations. However,
thanks to plenty of new initiatives set
up by non-bus companies the young
adults, the so-called millennium
generation, are now getting interested
in buses again. In order to attract
youngsters companies should not
only focus on travel comfort and Wi-Fi
availability, but also create the right
‘atmosphere’ on board and opt for a
contemporary colour setting.
Departing from the topic ‘Further
improve the image of the bus and
coach sector’ Busworld Academy and the
International Road Transport Union (IRU)
organised a conference on the image
problem of buses and coaches, how to
deal with them and which initiatives
were launched recently to put the bus in
the spotlight again.
In his opening speech, IRU president
Janusz Lancy said that it is not purely a
question of image and perception. There
are also a lot of other external factors
at play, including political decisions and
unadjusted legislation, which all jeopardise the image that buses and coaches
have. However, thanks to the efforts of
the IRU the tide in the European Union
is turning and people are realizing that
the liberalization of the domestic market
in France and Germany has created new
opportunities for the sector. Jan Deman,
manager of Busworld Academy, thereafter stressed that we should not purely
focus on the image. Innovations in tech-
Stephen Smith (Confederation of Passenger
Transport, Great Britain): “The battle to put
the bus at the forefront requires our constant
attention, as new, potential customers are
popping up everywhere.”
nology, innovative bus concepts and the
changing travel and consumer behaviour
should also be taken into account.
More than just transporting
travellers from A to B
Stephen Smith (Confederation of
Passenger Transport, Great Britain)
underlined that transport companies
have to realise that they are not just taking people from A to B. “We are talking
about youngsters who go to school, people who go to work, men and women who
are moving around in a contemporary
society and who want to go from here
to there. This means that we should also
think about the availability of Wi-Fi, seats
for everybody, accessibility and userfriendliness. The battle of putting the
bus at the forefront requires our constant
attention, as new, potential customers
Magelys Coach of the year 2016
22 journalists from the European specialised bus-coach press have elected
the Iveco Magelys as Coach of the Year
2016. Stuart Jones, chairman of the
jury, officially handed over the trophy
‘International Coach of the Year 2016’ to
Sylvain Blaise, head of Iveco Bus, at the
Iveco stand. The specialised press was
charmed by the youngest Euro 6 version
of Magelys with tons of innovations and
improvements, significantly reducing the
de Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
are popping up everywhere. Furthermore,
we have to cooperate with regional and
local governments, project developers of
residential districts and shopping malls,
so they too can focus on their accessibility by means of public transport.”
For Peter Pantuso (American Bus
Association) the bus might indeed have
an image problem but the perception by
the general public plays a bigger role in
his opinion. “People still think of a bus as
the transport means of our grandparents.
Because we did not promote the right
product onto the market in the past, we
lost two generations. Luckily we now see
that the new generation of millennials
has a different opinion and is considering the bus again as valid transport
option. New online initiatives such as
Ryde, Wanderu, Buster, Bridj and RallyBus
have put the bus transport in the spotlight again by making clear that the bus
is the perfect way to go to a happening,
concert or sports event with a group and
without having to worry about your car.
We have always had good bus operators,
but they were not always sufficiently
customer-friendly. By making use of new
technologies and offering extra services
(e.g. meals on board) and further focussing on a familiar, high-quality service, the
bus sector undoubtedly has an enormous
potential to grow.”
Offering the right ‘look-and-feel’
and atmosphere
This was also the opinion of Marc
Hofmann (CheckmyBus, Germany) who
argued in favour of including bus services
in online metasearch engines. The only
prerequisite is though that the users can
flawlessly access the respective websites
of the bus operators to book a ticket.
Working with social media and following up on what is said on evaluation
websites is also of crucial importance.
“Facilities such as Wi-Fi, comfortable
seats, cleanliness and a timely execution
of the timetable are essential. But it is
just as important to have the right ‘look
and feel’ and atmosphere in the bus. If
we want to attract youngsters, we have
to take into account the right colour setting of the bus, both on the inside and
the outside. The bus needs to look great
and create the right ‘atmosphere’ for the
youngsters when they are on the bus. In
order to really reach this target group, we
have to use their communication channels to a much higher extent.”
Convincing companies
Patrick Westelinck (Federation of Belgian
Bus and Coach Companies) elaborated
on the Bus Fan Campaign in order to
attract new customers. Conceptually the
new, online media were used and the
public was asked to suggest original bus
trips. However, it is still hard to convince
consumers to really make the switch to
buses. It is equally difficult to change
the mind-set of the bus operators and
to persuade them to promote travelling
by coach together. Because most bus
companies do not have the financial
means for a contemporary marketing
strategy the professional federation is
now taking initiative itself. The plan is to
set up a central marketing department
as from 2016 devoted to the individual
companies.
Marc Hofmann (CheckmyBus, Germany): “The bus has to become more attractive to
youngsters and create the right ‘atmosphere’ for them when they are on the bus.”
Prizes for Coach Tourism
go to museums in Vienna
The Franz Ferdinand Museum in the
castle of Artstetten, close to Vienna,
and the Heeresgeschichtliches in
Vienna both receive the Big European
Prize for Coach Tourism from Caredit
during the opening ceremony of
Busworld in the Schouwburg city
theatre of Kortrijk.
Caredit, a partnership of bus organisations and publishing houses, has been
awarding its Great European Prize for
Coach Tourism for years now to initiatives
that are often less known but that fit in
perfectly with the programme of a coach
trip. “They are all pearls and hidden gems
that really deserve to be put in the spotlight and to receive attention from coach
companies and travel organisations,” Luc
Glorieux said.
“The places all have great potential, are
unique and have a fantastic historic and
cultural value. Furthermore, they often
receive their visitors in a personalised,
informal way.”
A first prize, the Big European Prize for
the Coach Tourism 2014, was awarded
with a delay by Luc Glorieux and Dieter
Gauf to the Franz Ferdinand Museum in
the castle of Arstetten, close to Vienna.
This castle used to be the home of archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was killed
in 1914 and whose murder was the
immediate cause of the First World War.
The prize was accepted by his great-
Her Royal Highness Anita von Hohenberg
received a work of art by Isidoor Godderis
from Luc Glorieux.
granddaughter her Royal Highness Anita
von Hohenberg.
The prize for 2015 was awarded to
the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum of
Vienna, according to Luc Glorieux one of
the most impressive museums dedicated
to war and military history in Europe.
The museum, with an exceptional collection, prides itself on its slogan ‘Kriege
gehören ins Museum’ (‘Wars belong in
a Museum’). Royal councillor Dr. Thomas
Reichl accepted the prize in the presence
of the Austrian ambassador in Belgium,
Jürgen Meindl.
Martinique is happy with ExquiCity
Just for a moment the numerous
guests present during the opening
ceremony of Busworld thought they
were on the warm island of Martinique
in the French Antilles as two colourful
tram-buses ExquiCity of Van Hool,
constructed for the paradisiacal island,
transported the guests to and from the
Schouwburg city theatre of Kortrijk.
The two tram-buses concerned will
be doing test drives between the centre of Kortrijk and the district of Hoog
Kortrijk until 23 October. In Belgium the
ExquiCity is at the forefront of this evolution, but Martinique has been convinced
of the tram-bus as cheap and efficient
alternative to the expensive tram for a
longer period of time.
Both tram-buses are part of a larger
order of 14 hybrid vehicles that will
take care of the connection between the
capital Ford-de-France and the economic
heart Le Lamentin on Martinique as from
January next year.
The keys of the tram-buses were symbolically given to Thierry Fortelot, president
of the ‘syndicat mixte’ of Martinique and
one of the partners in the project, during
the opening ceremony. He is delighted
by the new vehicle and the company Van
Hool in general. “The ExquiCity is a vehicle of the new generation with a modern
drive. Furthermore the concept, the quick
delivery, the warranty and the excellent
relation with the Van Hool family con-
The keys of the two tram-buses for Martinique
that are currently driving around in Kortrijk were
symbolically given to Thierry Fortelot.
South West Tours orders
five Setra double decker buses
The Dutch coach company South West Tours (SW) placed an order at the fair booth
of EvoBus during Busworld in Kortrijk for five Setra double decker buses. South West
Tours also purchased a Tourismo in a ‘training edition’.
The first two double deckers will be
delivered in January 2016. With this order,
the coach company from Overijssel is
extending its fleet to 38 coaches and
articulated local buses. The other three
double decker buses will be delivered
in 2018.
The market for double deckers will be
growing even more in the upcoming
years, partially because of the flourishing long-distance transport in Europe. It
is Setra’s goal to become the leader in
Europe in the double decker bus market.
Equipment
South West Tours is having this Setra
S 431 fitted with extensive equipment.
Next to the standard safety features of
Setra the double decker buses will also
be equipped with extra safety features,
such as adaptive cruise control, extra led
lights under the bus and at the roof edge
as well as two swerving cameras. These
Setras will also be fitted with a 230 V
power connection.
The Setra S 431 DT is driven by the
brand-new Mercedes-Benz OM 471, Euro
VI BlueTec engine. This 13-liter engine
consumes three percent less fuel than
its Euro VI predecessor, OM 470. It has a
nominal capacity of 375 kW (506 hp) with
a maximum torque of 2500 Nm (1100
rpm) transferred to the drive shaft by the
Mercedes-Benz GO 250-8 PowerShift3,
an automatic gearbox.
share
vinced us to go ahead with the purchase.”
Martinique bought fourteen ExquiCities
which will be covering a distance of 14
km and 18 stops, connecting the two
most important cities of Martinique. The
ExquiCities, in seven different colours,
will be driving in their own railway bedding. Thierry Fortelot: “This project will
undoubtedly be a success. We expect
20,000 passengers per day, 6 million
per year. We are now conducting a study
on establishing new connections to the
north and to the south of the island. In
total we will need 24 vehicles of the type
ExquiCity.”
VDL Busbuilder
of the year
During the opening ceremony, VDL bus
& coach was elected Busbuilder of the
Year. The president of VDL, Wim van der
Leegte, could not attend the ceremony in
person, but said that he was very pleased
with the award in a video message. After
winning in 2003, it is now the second
time that VDL takes home the prize. On
behalf of VDL, Remi Henkemans accepted
the trophy, a work of art by the renowned
artist Johan Tahon.
Up until today Martinique has paid 54
million euros for the total project. Next
to the purchase of the 14 ExquiCities this
also includes the costs for the construction of the railway bedding.
tastic moments
Busworld is going to Moscow
2016 promises to be a busy year for the
Busworld team. No less than four fairs
are on the agenda, more specifically in
Turkey (Istanbul), China (Beijing), India
(Bengaluru) and Russia (Moscow). During
the opening ceremony Didier Ramoudt,
president of Busworld International,
said that Busworld is also working on
the organisation of fairs in Columbia,
Indonesia and Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan.
For the latter Busworld is still looking for
strategic partners. Busworld International
feels very confident about the future, as
the need for collective transport will only
get bigger because of the growing world
population. More information about the
Busworld fairs abroad can be found on
www.busworld.org
Didier Ramoudt, president of Busworld International,
announced new fairs during the opening ceremony
of Busworld Kortrijk.
14 MAN Lion’s
Coaches for
Keolis
Keolis, one of the biggest private groups
for public transport, travel and coaches,
has closed a framework agreement until
2019 with MAN Truck & Bus. During
Busworld Kortrijk the deal on the sale of
14 coaches of the type MAN Lion’s Coach
was sealed. All MAN Lion’s Coaches have
49 + 1 + 1 seats and will be supplied
in the spring of 2016. The coaches are
fitted with LGS (Lane Guard System) and
EBA (Emergency Brake Assist), something
which will be compulsory for all vehicles
as from November 2015.
Prior to this delivery, the supply of 2 MAN
The Lion’s Coach for Keolis.
R08 Lion’s Coaches is also planned for
January 2016.
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Editor in chief: Jean-Pierre Schoukens
[email protected]
Photography: Hervé Ally, Bieke Bruggeman
Translation: X-L-Ent
Lay-out and printing: Ally Graph-x
Publisher: Luc Glorieux