At the onset of the school re-opening season, Tata Motors recently showcased a complete range of school transport solutions at the St. Joseph’s Indian High School Ground, Bangalore on Saturday, 13th June 2015 from 11 AM to 5 PM. The school bus expo being organized by Tata Motors exhibited the company’s entire range of school buses and vans namely the Iris, Magic, Winger, CityRide EX, Starbus and the Starbus Ultra. Under these brands, a wide array of products ranging from 3 seater – 68 seater school children transport vehicles were also showcased at the venue.
All Tata school buses including the Ultra, which is the flagship product are incorporated with class leading safety features and comply with the ‘to be introduced Bus Body Code’ norms. In addition to the range of school buses, Tata Motors also showcased the Tata Skoolman, a telematics based tracking solution, aimed at addressing pressing concerns over student safety during school bus travel. The Tata Skoolman not only enables additional safety for school children, but also enables more convenience for parents and more efficient fleet management for schools and bus operators.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Mukund Krishnamurthy, Regional Manager (South), Tata Motors Limited, said, “As the largest manufacturer of school transport vehicles in India, Tata Motors has always been at the forefront of encouraging safety during school bus transit. With the schools re opening in Bangalore, we want parents, schools and fleet owners to be able to see the range of safe school transport solutions the company has to offer.”
According to Mr. Sandeep Kumar, Business Head (Commercial Vehicles – Passenger), Tata Motors Limited,“At Tata Motors we are focused on introducing products which are comfortable and safe for children, we also understand that safety of school children is largely dependent on the people involved in school bus transit – drivers, school bus staff, parents and most importantly school children themselves. In order to create awareness about all aspects of child safety, Tata Motors has launched several special initiatives such as Hamare Bus Ki BaatHai’ and ‘Dream It to Win It’. These initiatives are meant to familiarize, train and sensitize all stakeholders, in various aspects of child safety during school transit.”
Under the Hamare Bus Ki BaatHai school bus safety program, Tata Motors has trained over 15,000 school bus staff across 41 cities, 295 schools, through 302 sessions. Since its inception the program has helped in creating a sense of involvement among participants, increasing awareness about their duties and responsibilities, maintaining personal hygiene, general etiquette and behavior, and also taking necessary measures in case of accidents.
Furthering this initiative, Tata Motors now aims at sensitizing parents about the ‘Hamare Bus Ki BaatHai’ initiative to better understand safety concerns during school bus travel, in turn prompting parents to impart behavioral training during school bus travel and to take necessary measures in case of accidents, also giving care givers time to react and help keep children safe.
Tata Motors understands that parents of children are like any other bus customer. They want to be informed and want the bus provider to be responsive. Recognizing that all these issues are important for parents, Tata Motors has devised ‘the Safest School Bus concept’, with technology as the backbone. The safest school bus concept incorporates some unique safety features in a Tata Motors SKOOL BUS
2 cameras fitted, one on the front windshield & one in saloon area
Monitor to capture & display real time images
DVR System with built-in GPS sensors
Supports up to 64 GB Micro SDHC card for recording
Rear view camera with display monitor mounted on the dashboard
Roof mounted flashing lamps which will flash as soon as the door is opened
Door buzzer & indicator on dash board
Electronic front destination board
Stop request switch on each seat location
Apart from these technology rich features, Tata Motors SKOOL buses are also fitted with comfortable seating, chin guard, stop sign on passenger door, 2-point lap seat belts, one row roof grab rail handles, fire extinguishers, rear high mount stop lamp, rear breakable windshield with hammer.