Busworld Russia will open its doors from 25 to 27 October at the Crocus Expo Centre in Moscow. Busworld and its partner, ITEMF Expo, have attracted many leading Russian and international exhibitors to the well-appointed exhibition centre.
Busworld Academy & IRU Congress
In conjunction with the exhibition, visitors can also participate to a number of seminars and debates in the ‘Busworld Academy and IRU Congress’.
Every day another theme is being highlighted: 25 October is dedicated to ‘Coaches & Tourism’, 26 October is dedicated to ‘Bus and the City’ and 27 October is dedicated to ‘Safety in Bus and Coach Transport’.
A large number of very interesting, both Russian as well as international specialists, will share their knowledge and experiences.
The congress is interesting for operators as well as for manufacturers and decision makers, since a lot of topics will be addressed.The full programme is available on the websites of Busworld Russia and Busworld Academy. The entrance to the congress is free of charge for exhibition visitors.
The Russian bus market
The Russian bus market is still strong. In the first six months of 2016, a total of 9,679 buses and coaches of all sizes were first registered.The market is dominated by three main vehicle sizes. The smallest are minibuses, mainly around 16-20 seats. They are used on a wide variety of work, including regular services in towns and cities, operating like shared taxis.
There is another very popular segment around 8.0-10.0 tonnes gross, and dominated by PAZ, the Pavlovsky factory. Their models are all high frame with front-mounted engines, and some of them have recently been substantially modified and restyled. PAZ vehicles can be found on urban, suburban and rural services, and are also popular for factory transport.The third segment is for full size city buses, normally around 12m long, but tri-axle buses can also be found on some routes.
The market leader is LiAZ, the Likino factory, using Western driveline components like ZF axles and fully automatic gearboxes, also Western diesel engines. The LiAZ range includes articulated buses. Vehicles are now well equipped with powerful heating systems, extra insulation, closed circuit television, facilities for passengers in wheelchairs and electronic destination equipment, to name but a few.
There is a small specialised segment for massive six wheel drive truck-based buses. These retain the original truck cab but also have a large passenger carrying compartment, used to take employees to and from oil and gas fields. They can work in very rugged conditions, on unmade roads, in the far north of Russia.
The largest manufacturer in Russia by a long way is the GAZ Group. It makes minibuses in its own name, including the attractive little Next. GAZ also owns LiAZ, the Kurgan bus factory in Siberia, PAZ, and several other subsidiaries making components.
Russian automotive component suppliers will also be well represented. Factories have been modernising and investing in new equipment. That shows in new and improved quality standards.
There is ongoing modernisation of the city bus fleets in Russia and there was a surge of investment in interurban and luxury coaches ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Russia will host the Football World Cup in 2018. Construction of new stadia is well underway and there are high hopes of a surge in demand for buses and coaches to carry the thousands of fans expected to visit the games.
There are encouraging signs of confidence in the Russian automotive industry. The timing of Busworld Russia powered by Autotrans could not be better.
