2013 Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award winners announced

Volvo has announced the winners of the 3rd edition of Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award at the Volvo Nobel Memorial Seminar 2013 held in Bangalore. ArriveSAFE and Mumbai Environmental Social Network (MESN) shared the top honours. ECOCABS was declared runner up for an initiative that combined sustainable mobility and social empowerment. The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) and EMBARQ India were given special recognition for their work in the area of sustainable mobility.

The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award was instituted in 2011 by Volvo Buses in India with the aim to recognise outstanding efforts in the area of sustainable mobility. The 3rd edition of the awards attracted entries from citizen groups, consultancies, institutions and student groups. The entries addressed problems in the area of sustainable mobility and presented solutions that were aimed at improving the quality of life for people.

The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award was instituted in 2011 by Volvo Buses in India with the aim to recognise outstanding efforts in the area of sustainable mobility

The winning entries for this year were 'To Reduce the Number of Road Crashes Due to Drunken Driving' taken by ArriveSAFE and 'Making Bus Stops in Mumbai Intelligent and Informative for Passengers' by MESN.

ArriveSAFE's entry is aimed at reducing the number of accidents due to drunken driving in the North Indian States of Punjab and Haryana. ArriveSAFE will be partnering with government bodies and come up with a road map to effectively check drunken driving, develop content for educational awareness and guide the enforcement agencies on how to conduct awareness campaigns for the public.

'Making Bus Stops in Mumbai Intelligent and Informative for Passengers' is an initiative by the MESN to improve the bus system and increase its usability. They have successfully installed route maps for the Kalanagar Junction in Mumbai, which the passengers found extremely informative and useful. MESN also plans to install similar bus route maps at railway stations, to keep passengers better informed of all destinations. Apart from these, MESN is examining if it is possible to go beyond and see how real time arrival of information on the next bus can be provided at the bus stop to users, via cellphones.

ECOCABS, the runner up of VSMA 2013, is an endeavour to promote cycle rickshaws as an affordable means of sustainable urban transport. Real-time Bus Arrival Information System & Delhi Transit Bus Info Application by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) Ltd received recognition for their aim to provide users with relevant information through the latest web and mobile based technologies on bus operations & schedules. 'Towards a Walkable and Sustainable Bengaluru' a Safe Access Project for Indiranagar Metro Station by EMBARQ India also received recognition.

"It's truly heartening to see the number of individuals and groups that are making an effort to make our cities a better place to live in. These are people often working in the background, making special efforts and we are glad to be able to recognize them through the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award," said Akash Passey, senior VP, Volvo Bus Corporation.

The entries were assessed by a jury consisting of subject matter experts from diverse areas. The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award is Rs 7,00,000 for the winner and Rs 3,00,000 for the runner up. The winners of this year's award shared the prize money.