Prawaas 3.0 Concludes on High Note

HYDERABAD: 6TH AUGUST 2022: Prawaas 3.0, the flagship passenger mobility event of Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI), concluded to a rousing response. The three-day event brought together leading bus & car operators from across India in eight important segments viz: Intercity, Intracity, School Bus, Employee Transport, Tour Operators, Tourists Cabs, Maxi Cabs and PPP-SPVs. the event brought together operators, OEMs, policymakers, thought leaders and industry captains on the same platform to redefine passenger mobility in the country.

The event has taken giant strides since inception and has become the most sought-after platform for all things public transport. This year the business exhibition had over 100 marquee exhibitors, encompassing national, international brands and pathbreaking startups providing passenger mobility solutions. The central theme of the event - "Towards Safe, Smart, Sustainable Passenger Mobility" echoes ethos of the apex organization, BOCI. The event is supported of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Ministry of Heavy Industries, Govt. of India.

Shri Prasanna Patwardhan, President, BOCI said, "Private transport operators ferry more than 32 crore passengers daily. This is exponentially higher than airlines, railways and STUs. Yet, the sector has not received due recognition. Buses provide multi-pronged benefits and can help decongest city roads, reduce cost of travel and boost revenue to the government through taxes. Domestic tourism which is severely hit due to pandemic can also benefit from better mobility solutions.

I sincerely urge the government to provide much needed policy and fiscal support to private transport sector and recognize the sector's contribution to the economy of the country. A conducive ecosystem will bring ease of travel to millions of people every day."

The 3-day event featured a richly immersive conference attended by industry leaders from across the country. The topics of discussions included, Green Energy – Vehicles and Infrastructure, Role of Passenger Transport to Boost Tourism, Future of Public Transport, Changing Times for Passenger Transport with Innovative Technologies among many other thought provoking and invigorating sessions.

Another highlight of the conference was the much-awaited Prawaas Excellence Awards. The awards were conferred to deserving operators across various categories including Best Operator, Safety Awards, People's Choice Awards etc.

The prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred to Late Shri KT Rajashekhara. He was the first chairman of BOCI and played a pivotal role in strengthening the voice of bus operators across India.

Padmashri Dr. Vijay Sankeshwar of VRL Group was awarded BOCI Prawaas Special Recognition Award for his invaluable contribution.

Dr. Rajendra Jagadale was accorded BOCI Prawaas Special Recognition Award for bringing disruptive ideas to transport sector to make it safe, smart and sustainable.

Shri T Harish Rao, Minister of Finance, Govt. of Telangana and Shri Pinipe Viswarup Minister of Transport, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh graced the event with their presence. While commending BOCI for bringing all key stakeholders on one platform, took note of the key asks of sector and assured timely action to create a conducive environment for the passenger mobility sector.

Shri Giridhar Aramane, Secretary MORTH Govt of India, addressed the gathering covering a wide spectrum of topics including integrated multi modal transport and assured operators of governments commitment to policy reforms and initiatives in making passenger mobility safe smart and sustainable by bringing ease of doing business and requisite infrastructure.

Exhibitor awards were presented to Tata Motors, Volvo-Eicher, JBM, Intel, Abhibus, Redbus, J-Tac and others from transport technology and OEM segment.

For the first time, an African delegation participated in Prawaas, representing various countries from the African continent.

The event concluded with Valedictory attended by Shri Mohammed Mahmood Ali Home Minister, Government of Telangana, Shri M Nawaz Basha Member of Legislative Council, Shri Uppala Srinivas Gupta Chairman Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation, Shri Mohammed Imtiaz Ishaq Chairman Telangana State Minorities Finance Corporation Government of Telangana, Shri Mohammed Masiullah Khan Chairman Telangana State Wakf Board Government of Telangana, Shri M S Prabhakar Rao Government Whip, MLC Government of Telangana, Shri Syed Nizamuddin President Telangana State Cab Operators Association, Mr. Harsh Kotak Treasurer BOCI, Mr Goutham Kiran Chairman BOCI Andhra Pradesh.

The dignitaries present reiterated total commitment towards making passenger mobility sector a priority. India moves on the wheels of public transport and with collaboration and collective efforts the sector will scale newer heights.

About Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI)
Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India is the apex organization of all the State Federations of private sector Bus & Car passenger Transport operators across India. BOCI represents eight important passenger Transport segments viz; Intercity, Intracity, School Transport, Employee Transport, Tour Operators, Taxi Cabs, Tourist Cabs and PPP-SPVs. We are also adding Critical & Emergency response service for the first time which is emerging as a major sector.

BOCI aims to promote Safe, Smart and Sustainable Integrated Passenger Mobility solutions to the citizens of India in close coordination with all the stake holders from public & private sectors.

The significance of BOCI can be measured by the fact that over 1.5 million buses are operated by its members today on Indian Roads and it is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.