Story and pics by Stefan Pertz
Trade shows and exhibitions are back in focus for those seeking new opportunities. After a break from F2F meetings during the pandemic, large-scale events are back.
This year’s Busworld in Brussels was a significant milestone for both organisers and exhibitors. Drawing record crowds, presenting world premieres, and improving the user experience, the show concluded as a resounding success. Filling a total of 85,000 square meters, a total of 560 exhibitors from 40 countries jostled for attention. This year, 81 bus builders joined the event.
The Busworld exhibition series is all about buses. Keen SMEs in Malaysia will find abundant opportunities at the show to develop solutions for an affordable public transport mode that connects urban centres with rural communities, ensuring mobility for all segments of society.
Bus Business in Malaysia
Buses and coaches play a vital role in Malaysia’s transport ecosystem, serving as one of the most efficient and accessible means of moving large numbers of people across the country.
Their importance becomes even more pronounced during festive seasons. During these peak periods, millions of people travel to their hometowns to celebrate with family. According to data from the ticket-booking platform redBus, there was a 48% surge in bus & ferry ticket bookings during Hari Raya compared to non-peak periods, and a 30.5% increase in bus ticket purchases this year compared to last year. And up to 80% of express bus tickets on key routes such as those to the East Coast, were sold ahead of the festive period.
These statistics underscore the importance of buses as a mode of transportation.
Turkish Domination
Turkish brands dominated the exhibition, with 107 companies participating, followed by China with 85 and Germany with 68. Inside the halls, 252 vehicles were on display while another 32 were set up outside. Many of the buses, some of them autonomous, were available for test drives. Turkey is emerging as a major player in the bus and coach market. Many of the buses showcased by the Turkish brands could be classified as solutions for niche markets, needing importers, distributors and qualified technicians to service them.
However, Hydrogen-powered vehicles have yet to shine. Among the many exhibitors showcasing new Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), specialists emerged offering conversions of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)- powered buses to BEVs. Bus operators can enjoy the benefits of electric powertrains without having to purchase new chassis and bodies, which are oftentimes still fit for many years of service to come when the original combustion engines start to give problems.
In Malaysia, this approach is currently being promoted by the Ministry of Transportation with several companies trialling conversions.
Just in looking at this, there are abundant opportunities for Malaysian SMEs here: hydrogen needs to be produced, transported and dispensed. The new engine technology requires different tools to be either made in-country or sourced and imported. Technicians need training, and workshops need to be built.
Busworld Plaza – A Space All Year Round
It is an innovative website developed by Busworld, the world’s leading organiser of bus and coach exhibitions since 1971, coach manufacturers will now have a permanent space at Busworld Plaza available year-round. Busworld Plaza connects sellers and buyers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to source buyers and sellers from all over the world, selected and verified by the Busworld team. Malaysian manufacturers of parts, components, and tools can reach a global audience—a highly targeted one at that.
“Busworld Plaza is not a sales platform but a ‘community’ to bring people from the bus industry together when they are looking for one product or the other. Through Busworld Plaza, you can search for products in a targeted and detailed way. Think, for example, of bus doors, steering wheels, or seats, and filtering by the countries in which the suppliers are active,” said Mieke Glorieux, Director of Busworld Europe.
Seeking Local Partners
One exhibitor at Busworld stood out, seeking distribution and manufacturing partners. Butterfly Flexible Seating Solutions, launched Butterfly-Motorcoach, its seating solution that converts seats into beds for Coach Sleepers Seats.
The unique design redefines long-haul comfort. With a press of a button, the Butterfly seat can transform from two premium recliners into a private lounge or a full two-meter lie-flat bed in seconds, without tools, floor anchoring, or cabin rework. This flexibility allows operators to serve multiple passenger segments with a single vehicle, avoiding costly reconfiguration.
It is especially valuable for markets such as overnight scheduled services, sports leagues, and entertainment tours. These are segments where passenger comfort and privacy are critical. The solution is already in service across the U.S. through Napaway and its network of operators.
Fasten Your Seatbelts
Austrian safety systems provider Holmbergs showcased its range of seat belts for commercial, agricultural, construction, and other speciality vehicles. These should be of particular interest to Malaysian bus operators. As of this year, passengers and bus drivers on Malaysian buses will be fined for not wearing a seat belt. This system enables the bus driver to know which seats haven’t buckled up via a Human-Machine Interface (HMI).
Similarly, there are business opportunities regarding speed limiters. Older buses would need retrofitting and there are opportunities to offer consultancy services to set up and test the functionality of speed limiters.
Malaysian Expertise
Standing tall was CRRC Corporation Limited’s electric double-deck bus. CRRC, known for its railway products, is a state-owned brand involved in developing future public transport products for Hong Kong. Operating across several continents, including Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East, the brand is no stranger to the industry, having been a pioneer in introducing its full-electric double-deck EV truck.
The vehicle, 12 metres in length, 2,455 mm in width, and 4.4 metres in height, is fully electric. Safety is a primary concern for large vehicles such as this in Hong Kong where topography and harsh, subtropical climate pose exceptional circumstances. Introducing the vehicle, Malaysian manufacturer, Gemilang Coachwork, underscored that their approach is the perfect solution. Using a tested and proven Swiss system with aluminium structures, making it the safest transportation solution for the delivery operation. Body structures manufactured by Gemilang Coachwork are bolted, not welded, allowing for more straightforward repairs, and the aluminium is corrosion-resistant.
Path to Europe
Vietnamese manufacturer VinFast presented two new buses. The names couldn’t be simpler: EB8 for an Electric Bus that is 8 m long, and EB12 for one that is 12 m. The EB8 draws attention to VinFast’s innovative design. This bus can accommodate 60 passengers and is equipped with 360 kWh Gotion LFP batteries. These are partly located on the roof and partly on the floor. This makes the entry height too high for European homologation, but the vehicle is available worldwide for other markets. VinFast specifies a range of at least 300 km.
The EB12 was designed entirely in accordance with European regulations and the existing charging infrastructure. The EB12 complies with UNECE and CE standards and has full European homologation. For its introduction to the European market, Vinfast is working with local bus specialists as suppliers of charging infrastructure.
As a case study, the brand demonstrates that an Asian company can compete effectively with European brands in its home market. To many, it is the dawn of an Asian Century in road transportation.
Consultants Needed
There are openings beyond the hardware, too. With all the new technology, rules and regulations around buses, Original Equipment Makers (OEM), bus builders and bus operators require expert advice. A concept yet to find a foothold in Asia is the idea of a third party handling vehicle purchases through tenders. Knowledgeable about the industry, such experts can identify the best-suited partners, broker deals on behalf of the buyers and manage the bidding process.
New technology, like Hydrogen-powered buses, requires new infrastructure, tools and workshop management. Consultants well-versed with the design and operation of workshops can bring their expertise to the region, which is seeing an uptake of new drivetrain technology.
Although AI-backed technology enables businesses to view data, one would need expert knowledge to decipher the data and convert it into useful information. Data analysts can offer their services to interpret data and turn it into actionable insights. The opportunities here lie in the fact that both governments and private businesses would be looking to utilise the data derived from the collected intel.
A Nation’s Backbone
Beyond convenience, buses and coaches also contribute to road safety and environmental sustainability by reducing the number of private cars on the road, easing congestion and lowering carbon emissions per passenger. In essence, Malaysia’s extensive network of bus and coach operators forms the backbone of the nation’s travel tradition, ensuring that everyone, regardless of background or location, can journey together.
Stefan Pertz is the Founder and Editor of Asian Trucker, a communications and meeting platform for the truck and bus industry in SE Asia.
