Awards at Busworld Kortrijk 2011
ECW-awards
The world famous event for the bus and coach industry, Busworld Kortrijk, was preceded immediately by a related event, namely The European Coach and Bus Week, (ECW, for short). The fifteenth edition has taken place from Saturday 15 till Tuesday 18 October 2011 and consisted of a series of trials and presentations. The tests were performed on the Xpo Kortrijk premises and a number of outside test courses.
ECW is aiming to play a pioneering role, developing into a tool for policy makers, and providing insight into developments in the field of mobility and genuine opportunities in the future. Already during the 2009 edition, ECW followed a completely different course, geared to the aspirations of tomorrow’s bus and coach operators and travellers.
The winners of this award were revealed during the Inauguration of the 21th Busworld Kortrijk on October 20th.
Coach or Bus Builder of the Year Award
The Coach or Bus Builder of the Year Award is given to an outstanding personality in the bus and coach building community for some remarkable achievement or career that has furthered the industry.
The winners of this award Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses & CEO Evo bus Germany.
European Grand Prix Award for Coach Tourism
The European Grand Prix Award for Coach Tourism is awarded by Caredit, the European Union of publishers for coach tourism. Every year this prize goes out to a group-oriented tourist attraction, on the basis of its high intrinsic value, its level of succes in the coach industry, the noteworthy nature of the way it has been executed as well as the human factors involved in it.
Weltvogelpark Walsrode was awarded as best coach trip destination in Europe during the Inauguration of the 21th Busworld Kortrijk.
I.R.U. City Trophy Award
The I.R.U. City Trophy Award recognises a long-term political commitment to an efficient, forward-looking Coach Management Policy and business friendly strategy. It is given by the world organisation of bus and coach operators and of all those who are living of road transport.
UK resort of Southport wins the IRU City Trophy 2011, as the world's most friendly city for group tourism, whose transport policy doubled the number of visiting tourist coaches over the past ten years.
IRU Bus Excellence Award
The IRU Bus Excellence Award 2011(formerly Eurochallenge Award) promotes high quality and cost-effective innovative projects implemented by any public or private bus/coach company, allowing for a greater use of regular urban and interurban public transport by bus and coach through improved attractiveness, such as: network or service improvements; creation of innovative new lines/services; integrated ticketing systems; implementation of quality, safety and/or security schemes; and implementation of customer care programmes, including for disabled and mobility impaired people, etc.
The IRU Bus Excellence Award 2011 goes this year to the Geman company Reutlingen Stadtverkehrsgesellschaft mbH HogenmUller & Kull Co. KG.
IRU Coach Tourism Innovation Award
The IRU Coach Tourism Innovation Award 2011 is a brand new award aiming to recognise and promote best industry practices leading to a greater use of group tourism by coach. Open to any private transport company worldwide whose main business is coach tourism, projects submitted should include company initiatives aimed at improving the image and attractiveness of coach tourism and in particular the creation of innovative new services, including on board services; successful information and marketing campaigns; the implementation of customers service quality schemes; the implementation of environment and safety care programmes; etc.
The international Jury declares the German company Videobustour winner of the IRU Coach Tourism Innovation 2011 competition for coupling traditional sightseeing tours with modern multimedia tools.
International Coach of the Year Award
The title of International Coach of the Year is traditionally awarded by the International Bus & Coach of the Year Jury, a group of senior journalists representing leading industry magazines from 17 countries. The winner is chosen following the demanding Coach Euro Test event which was held this year in Arendal, Noorwegen.
This prestigious trophy is sponsored by Busworld and traditionally awarded during the Inauguration of the 21th Busworld Kortrijk. Congratulations to VDL Futura!
