For the Indian bus industry it
is a milestone as two regulations aimed at imparting greater safety and comfort
have come into effect from April 1, 2015. These are the Bus Body Code and
mandate to make ABS standard for commercial vehicles. According to Volvo Buses
press note, their buses are fully compliant and the company has started
delivering vehicles as per the new regulations. The company has been offering
ABS as standard in its entire product range since 2005.
The Bus Body Code envisages
safer bus travel experience by mandating several features. These include active
safety, passive safety and personal security solutions in the form of driver
and passenger awareness, information items as well as tools specially designed
for use in the event of an emergency. The mandate to make ABS a standard
feature in commercial vehicles has far reaching implications for road
safety.
VRV Sriprasad, Managing
Director, Volvo Buses India said, “The implementation of the Bus Body Code is
an important landmark for the bus industry. Volvo Buses believes that the
regulations will help in raising the benchmarks for safety and comfort, which
will benefit scores of drivers and millions of passengers. Volvo was the first
company to introduce ABS as a standard and the implementation of this rule is a
welcome step. The cumulative impact of the Bus Body Code and ABS will help
enhance overall safety standards.”
India ranks among the top 10
countries in terms of fatalities in road accidents. With about half million
accidents, which involve high percentage of commercial vehicles, the changes
ushered in through these new regulations will help in curbing and reducing road
accidents.
“At Volvo Buses, we will
continue to bring in new technologies and features, while continuing to
emphasise on making good drivers even better at out Driver Training Centre. It
is our strong belief that safety begins with driver behaviour and best
practices. Volvo has trained close to 60,000 drivers till date, which includes
about 26,000 bus drivers alone. This gives us confidence to focus on preventing
accidents itself,” Sriprasad added.
Source: Volvo Buses