| For the coming last edition of Busworld Europe in Kortrijk, 19 October to 25 October, before moving to Brussels in 2019, Busworld decided to start a new tradition and organise a special Awards Night on the eve of the exhibition. During this event, the ‘Busworld Awards 2017’ will be presented, as well as the ‘Coach of the Year 2018’ and the ‘Sustainable Bus Awards 2018’.
The Awards Night will take place on the evening of Thursday 19 October 2017 in Kortrijk Xpo, right after the Opening Ceremony in the theatre of Kortrijk and the VIP tour in the exhibition. The traditional walking dinner will have an extra dimension with this entertaining show.
Coach of the Year
Traditionally, and this since its start in 1989, the prestigious ‘Coach of the Year award’ is announced at the Busworld Europe shows. Busworld has been a loyal sponsor and supporter of this award from the beginning. The jury consists of professional journalists of twenty one bus and coach magazines coming from twenty one different countries, and one new twenty second candidate magazine from the Czech Republic. They test the vehicles during four full days on public roads. Every year a ‘Bus Euro Test’ is performed in even years and a ‘Coach Euro Test’ in odd years. The tests take place in the different member countries and this year’s Coach Euro test will be performed in Sweden .
The participants for the Coach of the Year 2018 award are already known. They are the Carrozzeria Barbi Galileo HD, Irizar i8, the Iveco Bus Evadys, the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo, the Neoplan Tourliner, the Scania Interlink HD and the VDL Futura FDD2.
Want to know who wins the award this time? Come and find out at Busworld Europe’s Awards Night.
Sustainable Bus Awards
A third and fairly new award will also be revealed during this new event: the Sustainable Bus Awards. These awards were born in 2016 and focus on the sustainable aspects of buses and coaches. The prize aims to play a role in promoting a new mobility culture, not only encouraging the use of the most advanced technologies in terms of low environmental impact but also taking into account the safety of vehicles, i.e. the capability of the vehicle to reduce the danger for passengers, pedestrians and the driver. Sustainability also means establishing a positive image of the vehicle in the eyes of the general public. Hence, several aspects come into play, such as noise, recyclability of components and the general environmental commitment of the manufacturer. The Italian magazine ‘Autobus’ initiated this award and developed a sustainability index, ‘Mobility Revolution’, together with LifeGate and with the help of Professor Giulio Ceppi of the Politecnico university in Milan. Today, the jury consists of four professional bus and coach magazines. They will award a Sustainable Urban Bus 2018, a Sustainable Intercity Bus 2018 and a Sustainable Coach 2018. |
