The Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) held the Bharat Prawaas Awards 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, with Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari serving as chief guest at the ceremony.
The event recognized outstanding contributions to India’s passenger mobility sector, with 63 winners selected from more than 230 nominations. The awards ceremony featured participation from senior government officials and industry leaders, including redBus CEO Prakash Sangam, Tata Motors Executive Director Girish Wagh, and representatives from major transport associations.
RedBus served as the lead partner for this year’s awards, which included the People’s Choice Awards category designed to honor bus operators’ contributions to ground transport. The awards featured sub-categories such as Rising Star Awards for emerging operators and STU Awards recognizing State Transport Undertakings’ service excellence.
The ceremony also marked the announcement of Prawaas 5.0, India’s flagship multimodal transport exhibition, scheduled for August 2026 at Gandhinagar’s Helipad Exhibition Centre in Gujarat. BOCI presented a preview film showcasing the scale and vision planned for the upcoming event.
A significant development announced was the State Ranking Index, a collaborative initiative between BOCI and the World Resources Institute (WRI). This index will evaluate states based on bus operation ease and investment climate, covering areas including business environment, workforce development, safety measures, clean fuel adoption, public-private partnerships, and institutional bus services.
Following the awards ceremony, BOCI conducted a leadership dialogue focusing on future mobility strategies for India. The forum brought together policymakers, fleet operators, manufacturers, and technology companies to discuss building future-ready transport systems and implementing regulatory innovations for sustainable mobility solutions.
The awards align with the government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, emphasizing the development of modern, inclusive, and sustainable transportation infrastructure. The annual recognition program has evolved from the biennial Prawaas event format to become a dedicated platform celebrating excellence in passenger mobility.
Industry representatives highlighted the importance of public transport in achieving equitable and efficient growth targets for India’s development goals. The event reinforced collaborative efforts between government bodies, private operators, and technology providers in advancing the country’s transport sector transformation.
The complete State Ranking Index report is scheduled for release during Prawaas 5.0 in 2026, providing comprehensive assessment data to support policy reforms and interstate competition in transport sector development.