The second annual edition of Toyota Kirloskar Motor's (TKM) flagship Toyota Safety Education Programme (TSEP) has finished successfully in Bangalore. Titled ‘Road Safety – My Right, My Responsibility’, the campaign keeps educating and enforcing the obligation of future road users in order to create safer roads throughout India.

Chief Guest Dr Anil Kumar, Bangalore Traffic Police Department, along with Sudeep Dalvi, Chief Communication Officer, Senior Vice President & Head State Affairs, TKM, highlighted the importance of fostering road safety awareness at the grassroots level. TSEP, which was created to include schoolchildren as important road safety ambassadors, has shown itself to be a transformative programme that fosters responsible driving behaviour and has a cascading effect on families and communities. Measurable results show that TSEP is successful; assessments show that participants' understanding of road safety has significantly increased, underscoring the programme's ability to instil a culture of road safety in young students.

With more than 150,000 fatalities annually, India has the greatest number of road collision deaths worldwide. For those aged 5 to 29, road accidents continue to be the primary cause of mortality. TKM introduced TSEP in 2007 to address this challenge by including road safety into the curriculum of schools. Over 800,000 pupils countrywide have benefited from TSEP's ‘Child to Community’ programme, which has turned schoolchildren into road safety champions. Building on its achievements, TKM commemorated the completion of programme batches in Delhi and Bangalore this year. Mumbai will host the next phase of the programme as it grows, with an annual event scheduled for 11 February 2025. The initiative seeks to strengthen its commitment to attaining zero road fatalities by involving nearly 70,000 children and 600 instructors in 140 schools.

Students demonstrated their knowledge of road safety through activities including poster-making, skits, songs, Mad Ads and fact-based video presentations at the Bangalore event. These interactive formats inspired creative ideas for safer roadways while making learning interesting and effective. An awards ceremony celebrating the outstanding work of students, instructors and schools that were instrumental in enhancing the programme's effect marked the event's conclusion.

Dr Kumar said, “Programmes like the Toyota Safety Education Programme demonstrate the powerful impact of early education and community engagement in fostering responsible road behaviour. By focusing on schoolchildren, TKM is successfully empowering a generation to lead the change within their families and communities. The creativity and enthusiasm shown by students highlight the effectiveness of this initiative in inspiring a long-term commitment to road safety. Toyota’s dedication to reducing road accidents and ensuring citizen safety sets a commendable benchmark for corporate contributions towards national safety goals.”

Dalvi said, “At Toyota, our commitment to road safety extends beyond the manufacturing of safe cars; we strive to grow in tandem with society and enrich the lives of the communities we serve. By promoting road safety and instilling behavioural change, we aim to create a safer future for all. Since 2007, through initiatives like the Toyota Safety Education Programme, we have reached over 800,000 students, empowering them to become 'road safety ambassadors' who inspire positive change within their families and communities. This holistic approach is a reflection of our core philosophy of giving back to society and addressing critical challenges like road safety. Together with our partners, we remain dedicated to achieving our vision of zero road fatalities and fostering a culture of responsible road behaviour across the nation.”

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Eicher Trucks & Buses, a division of VE Commercial Vehicles, has introduced Uptime NXT Services supported by an AI-enabled (artificial intelligence) Uptime Centre. The initiative expands the company's aftermarket service ecosystem through connected vehicle data, predictive analytics and service support infrastructure to manage fleet operations.

The Uptime Centre functions as an operational hub connecting transport operators, technicians and engineering teams. Services delivered through the platform include fuel management advisory, driver performance scorecards, vehicle operation insights, remote immobiliser controls and proactive maintenance alerts.

The system integrates with the My Eicher application, which currently connects over 460,000 commercial vehicles across 200,000 fleet accounts to provide real-time vehicle tracking, trip tracking and maintenance monitoring.

B. Srinivas, MD and CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, "For our customers, uptime directly impacts productivity, profitability and business continuity. At Eicher, our vision has therefore been to create an ecosystem that helps keep vehicles operating at their best - everyday. By bringing together connected technology, predictive insights, a responsive service network and strong aftermarket support, we are moving towards a more proactive approach to uptime — one that anticipates customer needs, minimises disruptions and enables customers to run their businesses with greater confidence and predictability. Our ambition is to make uptime a defining part of the Eicher ownership experience."

S S Gill, Chief Commercial Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, "The new Uptime Centre brings together the people, technology and intelligence needed to manage uptime more proactively and at scale. The Uptime Control Tower gives our teams greater visibility across vehicle and service operations, while our Gen AI-powered platform bring actionable intelligence closer to our service teams and technicians. This enables faster diagnosis, better coordination and stronger First-Time-Right performance, helping us reduce disruptions and deliver a more seamless service experience for our customers."

The company first established a centralised Uptime Centre in 2019. The upgraded Uptime NXT architecture introduces an Uptime Control Tower for real-time monitoring of service operations and deploys generative artificial intelligence tools, designated as the Service One platform, to assist dealership technicians with fault diagnostics and repair procedures.

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Chennai-headquartered commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Union Bank of India to establish a vehicle financing agreement for purchasers of its commercial vehicles.

The agreement was signed by Neelakantan, Vice-President of Finance at Ashok Leyland and Alok Kumar, General Manager and Zonal Head at Union Bank of India, in the presence of D S Madhusudhan, Head of Sales Finance and Kapil Pandya, Head of Retail and Inventory Finance for Light Commercial Vehicles at Ashok Leyland.

As per the arrangement, Union Bank of India will provide end-to-end vehicle loans with structured repayment schedules across Ashok Leyland's line-up of trucks and buses.

K M Balaji, Whole-Time Director and CFO, Ashok Leyland, said, "Ashok Leyland is delighted to partner with Union Bank of India (UBI) to offer attractive and accessible financing solutions to our customers. This strategic partnership leveraging on UBI Network will further strengthen our market presence by enhancing access to our innovative range of commercial vehicles for businesses across the country. Built on advanced technology and engineered to deliver industry-leading total cost of ownership, our products are designed to drive greater efficiency, productivity and profitability for our customers."

Madhavi Deshmukh, Senior Vice-President and National Sales Head for Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles, Ashok Leyland, said, "At Ashok Leyland, we are committed to enabling our customers' growth through innovative products and seamless ownership experience. Our partnership with Union Bank of India (UBI) is a significant step towards making our industry-leading commercial vehicles more accessible with attractive and convenient financing solutions. Together, we aim to empower fleet operators and businesses with greater financial flexibility, while delivering superior value through our technologically advanced products and best-in-class total cost of ownership."

Alok Kumar, General Manager and Zonal Head, Union Bank of India, said, "Union Bank of India is pleased to partner with Ashok Leyland to offer seamless vehicle financing solutions. This collaboration underscores our commitment to enabling businesses with accessible and tailored financial solutions that simplify commercial vehicle ownership and facilitate sustainable growth. By enhancing access to convenient and customer-centric financing solutions, we aim to make vehicle ownership more seamless and accessible, while empowering our customers to strengthen their businesses and pursue new growth opportunities."

The partnership utilises Union Bank of India's national branch network to improve credit flow for transport operators, fleet owners and commercial enterprises acquiring vehicles ranging from light commercial models to heavy-duty trucks and passenger buses.

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Electric commercial vehicle leasing platform DRIVN and private intercity bus operator Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions, operating as Purple Bus, have expanded their electric fleet agreement to 276 buses.

The agreement increases the initial commitment of 100 electric buses, utilising an operating lease model and fleet management software.

The initial deployment covered intercity routes in Western and Southern India, including the Mumbai–Pune, Bengaluru–Chennai and Hyderabad–Vijayawada corridors. The expanded fleet under the Letter of Intent will cover additional routes, including Nagpur–Chandrapur, Nagpur–Amravati and Bengaluru–Tirupati.

DRIVN will supply asset financing, leasing, charging infrastructure management, real-time battery diagnostics and route performance analytics to support the deployment.

Alpna Jain, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, DRIVN, said, "Expanding our partnership with Purple Bus marks an important milestone for us at DRIVN. Increasing the initial agreement from 100 buses to a commitment of 276 reflects the strength of the relationship we have built with the team. Our focus is to simplify the transition to electric commercial vehicles by bringing together the financing, vehicles and tech capabilities operators need to run their fleets effectively. We look forward to continuing our work with Purple Bus as its requirements evolve."

Saurabh P Patwardhan, Director, Purple Bus, said, "Our experience with the initial deployment has reinforced a key learning: scaling electric mobility requires not only putting more electric buses on the road, but also building the right ecosystem around them. A nearly three-fold growth in the commitment from our partner reflects our confidence in that approach and our intention is to make electric mobility a larger part of our operations. DRIVN combines operational expertise with a strong technology platform, using real-time data and insights across routes, vehicles and fleet performance to support smarter deployment. We believe this combination will be critical to scaling electric intercity mobility sustainably and efficiently."

The partnership combines Purple Bus's route operations with DRIVN's leasing and data infrastructure to support the transition to electric intercity passenger transport in India.

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Mumbai-headquartered automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has commenced commercial production and supply of the MAXSEEDER, a precision zero-till, multi-crop seeding machine manufactured under licence from Canadian firm Clean Seed Technologies.

Built at Mahindra's farm machinery plant in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, the machinery will launch initially through dealerships in Punjab and Haryana before expanding to other domestic and international agricultural markets.

The MAXSEEDER operates as a tractor-trailed unit compatible with tractors rated at 35 horsepower and above. Engineered for multi-crop seeding across wheat, rice, soybean, maize and cotton, the machine enables direct sowing into paddy residue to eliminate stubble burning.

It features five independent row units with adjustable spacing, multiple metering options and an Electronic Control Unit controlled via a smartphone application to regulate seed and fertiliser dispensing. The unit places urea approximately 1.5 inches below the seed line to improve nutrient uptake and lower input consumption.

Field trials conducted in Punjab and Haryana demonstrated the machine's ability to operate in heavy crop residue with minimal soil disturbance, reducing fuel, labour, and field preparation requirements ahead of planting cycles.

Veejay Nakra, President of the Farm Equipment Business at Mahindra & Mahindra, said, "Mahindra is proud to partner with Clean Seed to deliver sustainable, mechanisation solutions to farmers world over. The patented and innovative ‘zero-till’, multi-crop seeding machine – the MaxSeeder, combined with Mahindra’s world-class manufacturing, ensures benefits for both farmers and the environment. The collaboration also underscores Clean Seed’s confidence in Mahindra’s capabilities and our shared commitment to advancing access to modern farm machinery globally and in India, while showcasing Indian manufacturing excellence on the world stage."

Graeme Lempriere, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clean Seed Capital Group, said, "Seeing our SMART Seeder MINI-MAX enter production at Mahindra is a proud milestone and a testament to years of innovation, collaboration and belief in our vision of delivering sustainable seeding and planting solutions for farmers in India and around the world. I am deeply impressed by Mahindra's scale and manufacturing capabilities and inspired by the commitment and passion the Mahindra team has brought to this project."

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