Reader's Response Final Draft

In the article, “India’s SMART City Plans Spawn Innovative Ultra Electric Bus Concept from TATA”, Tata’s Global Head of Design, Pratap Bose (As cited in Stubbs, 2016) states that India’s progression towards a SMART city requires a corresponding smart transport. This has led to the birth of the Ultra Electric Bus, a necessity for the city state’s advancement. The bus concept is developed based on an electric bus that is a “symbol of modern, resurgent India” (Stubbs, 2016). A city’s transformation is reflected in its visual contents, thus the bus design factor anchored on this point. It is vital to create the bus as an icon which portrays India as a connected city.

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

Stubbs (2016) mentions the use of 3D printed elements to replicate the effects of traditional screens, “symbolic of Indian architecture”. Such enhancements are crucial as they are designed to prompt recollections of past experiences related to India. I feel that this aspect is very suitable in creating an icon worthy of India. It also serves to remind commuters the origins of the bus company in such a fast paced world. A personal experience of 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; a similar effect of what the electric bus designers are trying to achieve.

Stubbs (2016) also tells us that commuters will be able to stay connected through user-centric features as the bus is Wi-Fi enabled. In addition, USB charging ports are easily available within the bus thus allowing passengers to charge their modern day gadgets while commuting. Taking reference from a survey done in Singapore, statistics show that 72 percent out of 22,000 respondents are keen on having USB ports on board public buses (Siong, 2016). This goes to show that commuters would benefit from small amenities made available on the bus which in turn would improve the overall satisfaction of public buses.

On the other hand, I feel that a main concern of electric buses would be to incorporate them into the public transport system of a city. MacKechnie (2016) states that the main constrains of electric buses are the short distance range and long recharge time. Charging infrastructure would be required to support the new range of electric buses. Since electric buses are unable to refuel immediately as compared to conventional diesel-fueled buses, bus schedules may not be as efficient thus resulting in poor transport system reliability (MacKechnie, 2016).

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 should be taken into consideration to create a more efficient and commuter-based public transport system.

References

Stubbs, E. (2016, May 11). India’s SMART City Plans Spawn Innovative Ultra Electric

Bus Concept from TATA. Retrieved from:

http://www.core77.com/posts/52949/Indias-SMART-City-Plans-Spawn-Innovative-Ultra-Electric-Bus-Concept-from-TATA

MacKechnie, C. (2016, August 6) Electric Buses - An Introduction: How They Work, How

Much They Cost, and Where They Operate. Retrieved from: http://publictransport.about.com/od/Transit_Vehicles/a/Electric-Buses-An-Introduction.htm

Siong, O. (2016, August 31) Buses with USB charging ports to hit the road on Thursday.

Retrieved from:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/buses-with-usb-charging/3087788.html