Story by:
Sricharan R
Post the inaugural edition of Busworld SouthEast Asia, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Busworld organisers held Busworld Central Asia 2019 for the first time ever between June 24-27, 2019, at the Atakent Expo in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The fair attracted potential bus and coach manufacturers, bodybuilders, ancillaries, and specialist service providers. With a population of around 18.5 million people, of which 50 per cent alone are known to live in urban areas, the region is moving up in the area of mass public transport. It has already invested in new low floor vehicles from regions across Western Europe, China and Korea.
Exhibitors from different categories included body components, chassis manufacturers, drivetrain, electrical and electronics, hardware, interiors, and IT systems. The participants at the fair could look at companies like Kamaz Trade, Anadolu Isuzu Otomotiv, Astana Motor, Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection, JV Man Auto, Samauto, and Voith Turbo Limited among others. On the sidelines of the expo, the Busworld Academy, the worldwide knowledge platform of Busworld, organised a seminar. As a repository of bus and coach industry megatrends, it provided an opportunity for bus and coach experts, futurists and representatives of state authorities to exchange views and talk about business. Participation in panel discussions, meetings and round tables also give participants an opportunity to gain first-hand insights from market experts and representatives of government agencies besides the associations and councils.
With the Kazakhstan Government known to invest heavily in the transport and logistics infrastructure as per the recently announced 2050 strategy blueprint, to be among the top 30 global economies of the world in a 30-year time span, the fair provided an effective platform for the global as well as the domestic audience to come together and talk business as well as seeking arrangements. Being held at a time when the central Asian country offers a favourable business climate in the region _ the Kazakhstan Prime Minister Askar Mamin known to announce a rise in the influx of foreign investment to USD 24 billion in 2018 at the panel session of KGIR 2019, the fair promises to lay a strong foundation for inclusive growth led by the latest in the bus and coach segment.
With a favourable business climate complemented by a renewed focus on new and promising industries like CVs expected to spur the economic growth in Kazakthstan, the Busworld Central Asia 2019 provided visitors and participants a rare insight in the bus and coach market of the respective country. Supporting new buses and coaches that target the rising tourist activity in Almaty as part of a comprehensive program of tourism development until 2020, the bus and coach expo successfully enabled visitors to explore diverse opportunities. The inaugural edition of Busworld Central Asia 2019 reflected on how different markets around the world are working on mass public transport and new means as well technologies to upgrade them.
