Sustainable Bus Award 2021 cancelled due to pandemic

Sustainable Bus Award 2021 (SBY) has been cancelled. The awarding process this year will not take place. Organization committee and jury shared the decision of cancelling this edition of the award, that was supposed to be delivered in the second half of 2020, SBY announces with a press communication.

SBY’s activities will be resumed next year: the delivery of Sustainable Bus Award 2022 will take place in Q3 2021.

In October 2019, the Sustainable Bus Award 2020 was handed over to Mercedes eCitaro, Iveco Crossway Natural Power in Normal Floor version, Futura FHD2.

Sustainable Bus Award 2021 cancelled due to pandemic

This difficult choice has been taken due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its repercussionson travel and industrial production. Travel bans and their unpredictable evolutions all over Europe in the coming months, in fact, will make it complicated for the jury to carry out the evaluating process, that «requires time and a deep journalistic analysis. Many information are needed to choose the right vehicles. The SBY process is a long process, which deeplyinvolves manufacturers, who are asked to provide very specific information», organization committee and jury point out in the press note.

Covid-19 outbreak, a push for sustainable mobility?

«The organizers of the award and all the members of the SBY jury hope that the Covid-19 outbreak will not act as a brake but il will become a driver of energy transition, promotionof public transport and innovation in mobility – organizers and members of the jury add -. Safeguarding the planet today, even more than yesterday, is a crucial topic and the contributionof sustainable public transport is, and will be, crucial in achieving the goals of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)».

Eight countries in SBY jury

The jury of Sustainable Bus Awards represents eight European countries. The network consists of Mobilités Magazine (France), Busfahrt (Germany), Autobus (Italy), InfoBus (Poland), Infotrucker (Romania), Revija Tranzit (Slovenia), Carril Bus (Spain), Bus&Coach (UK).

The jurors, according to the rules (that can be read on www.sustainablebusoftheyear.com) chose the winner vehicles after three evaluating steps. First, each juror submits a list of candidates. All the candidates pass through a first numerical evaluation. Nine vehicles (3 per category) are shortlisted as finalists. At this point, manufacturers are asked to provide detailed documentation on the vehicles, answering the questions of jurors and make the buses available for test drives. Finally, each juror provides a detailed evaluation to each vehicle, taking into account more than 53 parameters split in the following groups: Engine, Transmission, Safety, Comfort, Sustainabiliy. 

The award, that prides itself to be the first and only European award that acknowledges sustainability in the field of buses, must not be considered just a prize to the ‘greener’ bus.

Actually, Sustainable Bus Award is based on a cross-cutting idea of sustainability, intended as the ability to establish a positive image of the vehicle to the eyes of the general public. Several aspects can come into play, such as safety, comfort, noise, recyclability of components and the general environmental committment of the manufacturer.