Impressive Busworld SouthEast Asia 2019

Busworld SouthEast Asia 2019 made an impressive debut in Jakarta, Indonesia.

- Ashish Bhatia

Busworld SouthEast Asia 2019 made an impressive debut at the Jakarta International Expo (JIEXPO) in March 24-26, 2019. As the first bus and coach only expo in the country, the fair managed to attract a large number of stakeholders to participate. With 100 per cent occupancy, the show saw close to 6,900 visitors descend on the JIEXPO’s 10,000 sq.m. hall to check out the advances made in the domain of bus and coach design. Visitors also could witness advances made in components and after sale services. Succeeding in drawing attention to the huge potential for bus and coach manufacturers, and ancillaries, the inaugural edition underlined the need for the global mobility community to cater to unique demands against a backdrop of an ageing bus fleet and the growing clout for ‘coach tourism’. Through the course of the three-day exhibition, stakeholders of the bus and coach industry in Indonesia stressed on an efficient mass public transport mechanism to address many challenges faced by the people during their travel. Averred Didier Ramoudt, President of Busworld International, in his inaugural speech, that every country of any significance has a similar set of problems. He gave an example of how other markets in the world are coping up with rapid urbanisation and referred to the rapid urbanisation taking place in Indonesia. “The answer to tackle ‘traffic jams’ as it is called here in Indonesia requires governments to fall back on an efficient mass public transportation mechanism fed by buses and coaches,” he mentioned. “While we respect the culture of each market, at times it is necessary to break some rules in order to get the house back in order,” he quipped. Referring to the exploding two-wheeler population in the country, Ramoudt said that new ways need to be found to address rising congestion.