To Volvo RE: Financial Assistance for book publishing -Buses in Durban I have completed a book that i intend publishing about the Private Owned Indian buses in Durban. I am confident that Volvo management would contribute a small amount of money to assist me financially to make this book a reality. I have included a brief synopsis on the book as well as pages of the book. I would prefer sitting down with management at a branch in Durban to discuss further and display the entire book layout. I await your feedback.
Indian Buses in Durban The History, the memories ,the personalities Introduction Take a trip down memory lane with the Durban Indian Omnibus Services and their employees. Get a feel for their triumphs and tribulations of many intrepid individuals whose personalities were so much larger than life. Learn how they invented ,created and maintained a mode of transport for people disadvantaged by a system and fragmented society plagued by Colonialism ,racist agendas,apartheid and transport lawlessness. The book is set to take you on an inspiring never read before journey through an era of challenges and opportunities as we get to meet the men and women who trail blazed this transport business. This picturesque book is filled with pictures of places and buses that will quench the thirst of any enthusiast. The engineering feats are something to be marvelled at as they supported the Indian Bus System of operation. The Indian Bus Service was not simply a means of transport. It was an integral part of family life. Buses carried people and news from far flung corners of a subtropical region where streams could turn to raging torrents and baking heat could tax any engine to the point of failure. But the service ground on ,over hill and through dale, facilitating wedding and funeral gatherings and holy occasions and also creating economic wealth,some of which went to the transport operators -most of it to an onerous system which took but returned little. Bus operators even created routes by blazing new tracks through virgin bush. They built both bus and route and then maintained both. This book recounts this vibrant industry. Many of the bus stalwarts were never recognised for their contributions to transport in Durban. The total number of pages in the book consists of 232 pages of pictures inter-speared with brief anecdotes. The book is divided into different categories which combined takes you through a picturesque of Memories people shared of the buses. A brief outline of the People To Remember which focuses on those that left their mark in bus folklore history. Our Passengers depicts the people they transported. Murals on the buses have shown the advancements in bus paintings and artwork. Travel and Tours depicts the inter-province journeys that the buses and their passengers undertook. Omnibus Services shines the spotlight on the bus companies past and present with some fascinating and jaw dropping pictures of buses from 1919 to 2011.
The place where everyone met where the bus ranks which the book captures in rare and never seen before pictures of how the bus ranks looked and what obstacles faced a bus owner in these loading bays. Rank Managers pays tribute to the unsung heroes of the bus industry with heart wrenching tales of their daily lives. Bus Drivers were in a league of their own and their poses next to the buses showed a sense of mans companionship and loyalty. Mechanics trial and tribulations as well as the risk they took to get the wheels turning again. The bus history cannot be completed with out crediting the Bus Body Builders and those that had a creative mind to design a bus. Accidents and collisions were a normality in the any transport business. The Dangers that the industry faced gives an account of how exposed bus owners were to criminals and the road hazards. The Bus Owners Associations depict the men who owned these buses. The End of the Line shows the stark reality of the current bus world. Bus Tickets were the lighter side of the trip home and in this category i have touched on the people that created them. Bus Fares are a look back in time as historical documents depict routes and how much people paid for a trip. The book concludes with Newspaper Articles and what made the head lines. History The Indian Passenger Transport in and around the city of Durban originated from a thought by an Indian named Jack Sidhoo who upon seeing a small dodge truck displayed in a local garage conceived the idea that if two benches were placed length-wide in the vehicle it wold be made suitable for the carriage of non European passengers. The first Indian owned omnibus appeared appeared on the streets of Durban in the year 1919 carrying passengers from Riverside and Northway Road to the centre of town. Thereafter other bus owners followed in his footsteps in Clairwood, Cato Manor, Overport and Sydenham. Why contribute towards the book? Buses have created their own band of followers throughout the world and associating your brand name with it will be an added benefit. The book also serves to be an educational and research tool for students young and old for decades to follow. Volvo has been apart of the Durban Private owned Indian Buses for the past 60 odd years and by associating your brand name in a section of the book would be an added bonus for the reader as well as the bus owner. The book contains several pages where Volvo N88 buses are beautifully featured. Also a Volvo B7 owned by Mayville Bus Service in 2000 shows the progress the company has made in both design and technology. Volvo buses is known for its ruggedness which helped the bus owner transport the passengers through some difficult road conditions. The bus industry in Durban has existed for 93 years 62 years of that has been attributed to Volvo buses. Target market The target market for the book would be school children, students, current and former bus owners, trucking companies, bus spares and accessories shops, bus enthusiasts and over a hundred thousand bus fan club members worldwide as well as bus museums. Guaranteed sales Osborne Porter Literary Services guarantees as per a contractual agreement to make the book available on Amazon ,Kalahari ,Red Pepper and Neilsen book data sites which is where many suppliers and bookshops order their books. Osborne Porter are also vendors for Exclusive Books . The book will be included in Osborne Porter Literary Services quarterly book catalogue which is distributed to all major book shops throughout South Africa. Many book shops order from catalogues such as these. The book will be on e-book which will be promoted and made available for purchase on the website. Osborne Porter have years or experience in promoting books.