The inaugural edition of Busworld South East Asia will be held at Jakarta in March 2019.
Story by: Ashish Bhatia
The inaugural edition of Busworld South East Asia exhibition and congress will be held at Jakarta between March 20 and March 22, 2019. The show will open its doors to address the huge potential for bus manufacturers in Indonesia against a backdrop of an ageing bus fleet and the growing clout for ‘coach tourism’ in the country. A country with a huge population of approximately 260 million people known to be fond of buses, the inaugural edition of Busworld is well-poised to set the tone for improvement in the country’s public transportation system. Coming at a time when it estimated for the country to add over 200,000 new buses, the bus and coach exhibition is well-set to draw manufacturers like Laksana, Daimler and Volvo among others. It is also set to reflect on the growing network of BRT system in Indonesia.
In Indonesia, for instance, a BRT system is already operational in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Solo among other provinces. In Jakarta, the ‘TransJakarta’ BRT system is operational since 2004. It is said to be the first such system in Asia, and boasts of an estimated annual ridership of 189.77 million passengers. With the Ministry of Transportation in the process of regulating the maximum age of buses in the country in an effort to increase efficiency, the show is timed well to help bus manufacturers to tap the potential for buses the country presents. Other than addressing the inherent demand for new buses, the inaugural edition of Busworld is taking place at a time when the clout for ‘Coach Tourism’ is growing in Indonesia. Looking at attracting 20 million visitors by the end of 2019, coach operators in Indonesia are known to have begun introducing double-decker coaches. In a scenario like this, a demand for 5,000 new coaches is estimated in 2019.
For the inaugural edition at Jakarta, the Busworld Academy has lined up a host of prominent partners and speakers. They will participate in a three-day programme with the theme, ‘Making bus transport systems attractive, efficient and affordable in South East Asia’, and aimed at operators, authorities, schools, research and development departments among other stakeholders of public transportation in the country. The programme with a blend of international and local best use cases will align with Busworld Academy’s vision to develop bus and coach operations and businesses around the world. On the first day, the ‘South-East Asian Mayor’s Forum’ will see the participation of several mayors. They will discuss sustainable mobility. The CEO round table, attracting the participation of Budi Setiyadi, General Director of Land Transport, Ministry of Transport, is certain to be of interest to many. Various key topics will be discussed in the ‘Shaping Tomorrow’s Public Transport in ASEAN countries’ roundtable. With UCLG ASPAC as a partner, the inaugural edition of Busowrold Indonesia is set to chart out a unique territory for itself to tread on. Most of all, it is set to be yet another round of success as far the Busworld exhibitions around the world are concerned.
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