Volvo Buses announced the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Award to recognize initiatives that are positively influencing city transport systems. The objective of the awards competition is to highlight the need to develop effective urban transport and mobility systems that address the needs of rapidly growing cities.

“Urban transport is a fast evolving model in India,” said Akash Passey, managing director and CEO at Volvo Buses in South Asia. “Efforts by the central and state governments, have been actively supported by various interest groups in a bid to attract people to shift to public transport.”

He continued:

“This award is an attempt by Volvo Buses to recognize efforts of groups and individuals who have gone beyond the convention and have come up with innovative ideas to improve the urban transport systems in India. At Volvo, we are committed to bring about change that benefits the society and make better the lives of people in urban centres. We hope that this initiative will spur people to come up with more ideas to make urban transport in India as good as in other countries.”

Submissions from groups, organizations, institutes and individuals who are creating innovative solutions in sustainable urban transport are welcome to apply. The winner will receive a cash award of 700,000INR (US$16,000) and runners-up will receive 300,000INR (US$7000). The deadline for registration is August 30, 2011, and the last date to submit project details is September 1, 2011.

The project entries will be rated by a jury of experts and academics from the transportation industry and will be judged based on three broad criteria:

• Innovativeness of the idea
• Practical implementation or level of engagement with society
• Achievement or potential impact of the initiative

Project reports submitted for competition entry should not exceed 25 pages and must include:

• Purpose and scope of the project
• Achievements till date
• Next Steps Planned
• References

The project report should also include biodata and profile information of the group and individuals involved in the project.

Download the registration form here and send your completed application to satyanarayan.doraiswami@volvo.com.