In an increasingly globalised and competitive world, the economic, social and environmental demand for the distribution of goods and public transports in urban areas continues to increase every year. Road Transport carries for example more than 70% of all goods by volume and more than 90% by value. Simultaneously energy shortages, CO2 emissions and cities congestion are some of the most critical issues we all have to take into consideration. Vehicle manufacturers, operators, cities and legislators already strongly contribute to the global reflexion to face these issues, aiming at developing optimized and efficient vehicles and transport systems solutions to both respond to increasing economic demands and sustainble development stakes. The first edition of the Truck & Bus World Forum will focus on "Transports for a better life”, while bringing together a global assembly of on- and off-road professionals in an open international forum to exchange cutting-edge strategies and technical information, address industry issues and challenges to develop sound business solutions to keep on developing better transport solutions for a better life. The Forum will address subtopics related to Goods distribution in urban areas (1), Public transports in urban areas (2), Mobility invoice (3), Business profitability and Sustainable development (4). It will also address dedicated conferences related to the American and Asian Truck and Bus markets. Who Should Attend * Worldwide corporate leaders from the Truck & Bus manufacturers, Automotive Tier 1 & 2 suppliers. * Key decision makers involved in the policies of displacement. * Private companies taking care of public transportations. * Experts from international bodies. * Academic researchers in Economy, Technology and Social Sciences. * In short, all professionals part of the Commercial Vehicle & Bus industry. Organisers The Truck & Bus World Forum is co-organised by the Rhône-Alpes Region & the City of Lyon, together with the support of the Rhône-Alpes Automotive Cluster, the Lyon Urban Truck & Bus 2015 cluster & Automotive Sweden cluster. It is coordinated by ERAI (www.erai.org) which is the local trade commission office. The forum also associates 3 key international strategic partners: the Society of Automotive Engineers, Global Insight & the Chinese Automotive Review. All our Allied Partners will bring in their respective value-added to the forum, also favouring networking opportunities. Summary of round table: A challenging future for Trucks and Buses For the last 15 years, goods transportation in Europe has increased by an average of 2,8 % per year while public transports have increased by 1,9% per year (source: European Union). Globally, from 1995 to 2004, goods transportation has increased by 28% and public transports by 18%. 44% of goods and 85% of passengers in volume are using road transportations in Europe. All transports account for 30% of the European total energy consumption and 60% of the European fuel consumption. The transportation demand will go on increasing as well as energy shortages and environmental constraints. The truck and bus market players (OEMs, Cities, Official Bodies…) face and need to anticipate more and more complex constraints. Prior to analysing the strategies to cope with these constraints, we will analyse the macroeconomic conditions of the truck and bus markets environment while discussing the following questions: what are the main forecasts for the truck & bus markets global market development? How will we finance efficient European infrastructures and manage co-modality between all transportation modes? What are the main inputs and constraints of the economics of climate change? How will the European Union stimulate the research and development of always more efficient and sustainable transport systems? Summary of round table : Goods Distribution in urban areas "Every good, whether at home, the office or a store, has been on a truck at some point in its production and distribution. As 85% of goods movements are under 150km, it is clear that the solutions for the problems facing urban goods transport will not be found other than within the road transport mode. As our modern economies, societies and way of life become ever more dependent on the efficient distribution of goods, how can we ensure better, rather than simply more road transport? How can we decouple the road transport industry's growth with its environmental impact? What efficiency and environmental gains can be had from the "Modular Concept?" How can best use be made of existing infrastructure to reduce traffic congestion? What can we learn from other modes regarding "slot allocation", to reduce congestion due to loading and unloading? One truck delivering goods to a supermarket requires five hundred cars to bring those goods back home. Internet only compounds the problem by creating even more consumer demand, and thus more light vehicle commercial traffic. How can we meet growing demand for urban goods delivery without stifling economic growth? What is the role of innovative technologies, business incentives and adequate infrastructure in meeting these economic, social and environmental challenges? There is a need for a system approach where the vehicle(s) fits with the infrastructure(s), and with management tools to optimize time and space zones for the best goods transportation operations. The best solutions will come from global approach with active involvement of stakeholders." Summary of round table: Public Transports in Urban Areas City congestion is getting worse and worse; having a negative impact of 1% on the European Union GDP. In most of the worldwide urban areas, environmental constraints, congestion and economic growth generate increasing needs for efficient public transports. Buses are essential for public transports. They are highly flexible and easily adjustable to public transports’ demands. They enable to implement major traffic lines that will later on be supported or even replaced by metros and tramways that require more time and financial investment to be developed. One of the key problematic to address is to stimulate cities to deploy new bus lines making public transport more attractive. In that respect, the key issues are certainly: a) to improve the efficiency of the buses as compared with the usage of the car; b) to make sure that the congestion of the cities does not affect the efficiency of the bus transport; c) to build on the flexibility of bus systems to address urban sprawl and its specific problems; d) to improve the whole system (vehicles, services) to avoid a loss of image associated with the sociological specialisation on less privileged customers. This round table will focus on the main evolutions of the buses as vehicles (to improve vehicles attractiveness and customer services) and their crucial role in the transport systems of the cities of tomorrow (requiring to optimize buses displacements, average commercial speed and general social image). Summary of round table: Economics & strategies for sustainable transport solutions 6,7 Billion inhabitants, 775 million passenger cars and 209 million trucks worldwide. 30 billion of oil barrels consumed per year and 6000 million tons of CO2 emitted per year. Our civilisation requires efficient & reliable transport solutions to deliver –every day and worldwide- all indispensable goods to our survival. Road transports rely on more than 90% on fuel while oil is required to elaborate and manufacture more than 80 000 different products. Fuel consumption and pollutant emission reductions are the key concerns of the truck & bus industries. CO2 emissions due to road transports have already decreased by 30 to 40% in the past 15 years, thanks to all the latest technologies developed by the OEMs and the automotive suppliers. Nevertheless, in the coming years, oil shortages will be more and more stringent while pollutant emissions of all kinds will generate dangerous climate changes. Recycling, renewable energies, new vehicles, optimized and intelligent transport systems solutions: what are the realistic current and future strategies and technologies that may contribute to a long term sustainable development? Summary of round table: Paying of Mobility "Paying for mobility is the only way to assure a sustainable development of all mode of transport including infrastructures, equipments, technology and operations, but also services as information, parking, insurances etc…and finally the energy. The challenge is to create a "mobility invoice" including all these aspects adding when necessary carbon, congestion tax, and deducting help from European institutions or State. Everyone has to pay the price of their mobility in the same way they pay their telephone bill. The communication technology (ITS) is the only way to ensure this task with numerous questions as interoperability, acceptability, privacy, all questions related to bank operation system. The mobility invoice cannot be adding more charges and taxes to the actual system, and needs to implement a return of investment for improving the mobility of persons and goods." Summary of the American Focus Industry experts on the US truck and bus market will present their views on issues such as safety, the environment, and energy as they affect buses, medium and heavy duty trucks. With the engine and transmission serving as the "heart and soul” of these vehicles, representatives of an OEM, engine manufacturer, and transmission manufacturer will comprise this panel. The moderator of this session will also provide a brief overview of the current US business climate and how regulatory issues are impacting production levels and employment cycles.