Reader's Response - Electric Bus

In an interview titled “India’s SMART City Plans Spawn Innovative Ultra Electric Bus Concept from TATA” with Tata’s Head of Design, Pratap Bose states that India’s progression towards a SMART city requires an equivalent transport. This has resulted in the birth of the Ultra Electric Bus, a necessity for the city state’s advancement. The bus concept was built around a fully electric bus that is a ‘symbol of modern, resurgent India’. A city’s transformation is reflected in its visual contents, thus the design factor anchored on this point. It was key to create the bus as an icon which portrayed India as a connected city.

By appealing to the public commuters needs, Tata Motor’s Ultra Electric Bus focus on the aesthetic and user-centric design to reflect a modern and connected India would be well received by the public. However, I felt that the integration of an electric bus as public transport should also be taken into consideration and not just centered on its appearance.

Pratap mentions the use of 3D printed elements to replicate the effects of traditional screens, ‘symbolic of Indian architecture’. Such enhancements were crucial as they were designed to evoke memories of experiences within India. I felt that this aspect was very suitable in creating an icon worthy of India. It also aids reminding commuters the origins of the bus company in such a fast paced world. A personal experience such as riding on a ‘Tuk Tuk’ which is an iconic mode of transportation from Thailand would bring back memories of weaving through the infamous jams at peak hour.

In the interview, Pratap tells us that commuters will be able to stay connected as the bus is ‘wi-fi enabled’. Adding on, charging points are easily available within the bus allowing passengers to give their modern day gadgets such as smartphones or tablet that extra battery boost. Taking reference from Singapore, statistics of a survey show that 72 percent out of 22,000 responses showed keen interest of having USB ports on board public buses(Olivia, 2016). This goes to show that commuters would benefit from small amenities made available on the bus which in turn would improve the overall experience of public transport.

On the other hand, I felt that a key concern of electric buses would be to incorporate them into the public transport system of a city. Research has shown the main constrain of electric buses to be the short distance range and long recharge time(Christopher, 2016). Recharging stations would also be required to support the new range of electric buses. Since refueling is not instantly available, bus schedules may not be as efficient compared to the conventional diesel-fueled buses thus resulting in a poor transport system reliability.

In conclusion, I felt that the design factors mentioned in the interview play a critical role in creating an iconic mode of transport to reflect ‘India’s SMART city initiative’. To support the electric bus viability, factors such as supporting infrastructure and bus scheduling could be taken into consideration to create a more efficient and commuter-based public transport system.

‘Electric Buses – An Introduction’, Christopher MacKechnie, 6^th Auguest 2016

http://publictransport.about.com/od/Transit_Vehicles/a/Electric-Buses-An-Introduction.htm

‘Buses with USB Charging ports to hit the road on Thursday’, Olivia Siong. 31^st August 2016
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/buses-with-usb-charging/3087788.html

Electric Bus Summary

India’s progression towards a SMART city required an equivalent transport. This has resulted in the birth of the Ultra Electric Bus, a necessity for the city state’s advancement. The bus concept was built around a fully electric bus that is a symbol of modern, resurgent India. A city’s transformation is reflected in its visual contents, thus the design factor anchored on this point. It was key to create the bus as an icon which portrayed India as a connected city.

My English Learning Journey

English is the common tongue spoken across many countries in today’s world. Personally, my family converses mainly using Chinese and dialect, therefore leading to a weaker foundation in the command of English language.

My grades for English during secondary education has always remained at a borderline C6, which treads the thin line between the passing and failing grade. I felt that passing English was sufficient to get me through school, as long as I could express myself and converse with others.

Moving on to tertiary education, I was exposed to effective writing and communication modules which included formal letter writings, emails and many more. This was the point where I realized that my English standard was far lacking as compared to my fellow peers, who could write fluently and portray their thoughts on paper. I felt inferior to my fellow classmates in my language competence and decided to seek help from my tutor. I was told to read newspaper articles and books to gain more exposure towards English Language. This ultimately helped to improve my vocabulary, writing skills, and even confidence when communicating with others. This has dramatically improved my daily life with the ability to express myself more accurately using a common language.

Looking towards the future of being a professional in the industry, I truly believe that having a stronger command in English language would greatly boost a person’s value, as well as the ability to communicate efficiently and effectively. With this in mind, I would strive to improve with the help of fellow peers and constant exposure to higher levels of language learning such as the Effective Communication module.