Topic 7 (free topic) : Public Transportation System National Development Generating Systematic

What is the public transportation system? It is a service to the public transport operations to move from one place to another as well as providing any form of transportation. The public transport system is mostly provided by the government and the private sector. In preparing the public transportation system network requires systematic investment and fiscal spending is very high - provided by the government or the private sector and hence a means of public transport systems can systematically contribute to the development of the country.

Looking at the public transportation system on land it covers the public transport such as buses, taxis, trucks, rail service, LRT and monorail. This service requires the provision of a connection. To obtain a systematic transportation system all require high-tech communications network with all transportation vehicles and involves investment and fiscal spending could boost economic activity thus generating development.

Air transportation system was further requires systematic management and implementation of transportation systems otherwise not be able to run smoothly and efficiently. Air transport system also requires a high-tech airport with more modern concepts and world-class landing platform can accommodate such as aircraft. Air transportation system is also very important for the country as it provides rapid transport system for the movement of the long journey and much needed by many people around the world.

The public transportation, such as bus taxis there has many effects to improve for their own country for the economy. This show many the importance of the public transport for the country’s development. But the country must be to needs transportation systems that have systematically. The passages can use the best transportation. The transport system can also enhance economic growth .The country can willing to spend much money to provide more public transport links across the country systematically. This is not a waste as claimed by some, but rather it is a long term investment which brings the profit to our country, such as to open opportunity for people.

So clearly demonstrates that the public transport system is able to generate the systematic development of the country. Development of a country cannot be seen if the country does not have a public transportation system that systematically and the best transportation. Thus to continue developing and developed countries can definitely have a systematic system of public transport.

Topic 6 : Sustainable Transportation Future

Sustainable transport refers to the broad subject of transport that is or approaches being sustainable. It includes vehicles, energy, infrastructure, road, railways, airways, waterways, canals, pipeline, and terminals.Transport operations and logistics as well as transit oriented development are involved. Transportation sustainability is largely being measured by transportation system effectiveness and efficiency as well as the environmental impacts of the system.

A sustainable economy is one in which our resources are not used up faster than nature renews them and benefits are shared equitably. Profitability is the product of thriving ecosystems and communities. Our shared assets are not sacrificed for short term profit. Pursuing sustainability has grown from the work of a few idealists to being a mainstream concept. The concept of sustainability has become a driver for a new generation of products and business practices.

Transport systems are major emitters of greenhouse gases, responsible for 23% of world energy-related GHG emissions in 2004, with about three quarters coming from road vehicles. Currently 95% of transport energy comes from petroleum. Energy is consumed in the manufacture as well as the use of vehicles, and is embodied in transport infrastructure including roads, bridges and railways. The environmental impacts of transport can be reduced by improving the walking and cycling environment in cities, and by enhancing the role of public transport, especially electric rail.

Green vehicles are intended to have less environmental impact than equivalent standard vehicles, although when the environmental impact of a vehicle is assessed over the whole of its life cycle this may not be the case. Green vehicles are more fuel efficient, but only in comparison with standard vehicles, and they still contribute to traffic congestion and road crashes. Well- patronized public transport networks based on traditional diesel buses use less fuel per passenger than private vehicles, and are generally safer and use less road space than private vehicles. Green public transport vehicles including electric trains, trams and electric buses combine the advantages of green vehicles with those of sustainable transport choices. Other transport choices with very low environmental impact are cycling and other human powered vehicles, and animal powered transport. The most common green transport choice, with the least environmental impact is walking

Transport plays an important role in economic and social development and can be powerful catalysts to sustainability through providing inter connectivity, learning and development, elements that are essential to women and their empowerment as well as to other marginal groups, the poor and those living in isolated areas.  The social and economic dimensions of transport use show that the poor and marginal groups living in rural areas often walk, or use non-motorized transports (cycles, rickshaw vans, animal carts) that are environment-friendly and do not account for GHG emissions.

Topic 5 (free topic) :Innovation in Transportation

Sustained inflation of the price of oil has set in motion a number of adjustments in the economy. On the one hand, consumers have made adjustments, perhaps under duress. Many have tended to drift to public transportation to satisfy their needs for short-distance travel, and the capacity of the mass transit systems to serve the mounting demand is beginning to reveal its limits. Unfortunately, possibly owing to decades of disinvestment or simply neglect, the transit systems in most cities are not capable of scaling commensurately to meet the increasing demand. Consumers have also made longer-term substitutions of fuel efficient versions of their motor vehicles for gas guzzling models that until recently have enjoyed the status of household pets.

American motor vehicle manufacturers, on the other hand, after successfully resisting credible threats to force them to produce fuel-efficient models, have now begun to deploy their ever-scarcer resources to re-engineering their vehicles. Strategies to accomplish the fuel-efficient vehicle focus on re-engineering the engine, redesigning vehicle bodies to reduce resistance to air and road surfaces, improving engine and vehicle management systems, and other steps.

Ford Motor Company lost $8.7 billion in the second quarter of 2008. Its immediate response has been to announce that it will now shift its resources to the design and production of smaller, fuel-efficient models. One has to wonder if this public intention is credible or sufficient in addressing what might be a systemic alteration in its environment. Ford’s strategic intentions are not different from those of General Motors or Chrysler, and why should anyone expect them to be? All three manufacturers benchmark against each other.

The collective response of the manufacturers to the complex but evident changes in their environment is reminiscent of a wonderful passage in the novel, Ever After by Graham Swift, observing the plight of the great railroads of a fading Victorian Great Britain. At one point, perched on a hill, the protagonist watches in the distance a great express rushing across the scene as if steaming to its oblivion. So now one might ask whether the motor vehicle manufacturers should continue tinkering on their progressively quaint and anachronistic capsules of individualized transport as the world around them adjusts to a new reality. Some drivers may return to their urban origins, thus obviating the need to sit behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle as they ponder the objectives of their daily activities. No matter how much the manufacturer can make the interior of the vehicle look like a hotel room, or endow the vehicle with entertainment features, the erstwhile consumer may ultimately commit to a life without a motorized vehicle.

Should we expend energy or thought to rescuing the Malaysia automotive industry? Were we to do so, would we retrogress to a lower standard of living? After all, we are not ignorant of the unpleasant externalize that have accompanied the transition of a railroad driven economy to an automobile driven economy. Here is a start on the list: smog, congestion, urban decay, despoiled plains and farmlands, and pronounced dependence on despotic foreign suppliers of a dense energy source (oil).

What would be the optimal use or role for the automobile in Malaysia society now or in a future we might anticipate? More pointedly, should the use and role of the automobile change in light of how the Malaysia economy has evolved from the introduction of the automobile as a romantic instrument for escape, adventure, and liberation about a hundred years ago to a current status as a kind of multidimensional” hell on wheels?”

Considering the constraints of the infrastructure supporting its use, is the automobile now more suited to short- or long-distance transportation? Or does it matter? Or is transportation the real purpose of its use? The motorized vehicle had some assistance from the airplane over several decades of the 20th century in ultimately displacing the railroad as the preferred mode of choice for long-distance travel. With the development of road systems to support the automobile, and a network of airports to support airplanes, travel times between any random pairing of cities were re-calibrated in the minds of the American traveler. If gasoline prices at the pump continue to rise, then why should there not be a retrenchment in both the intensity and the variety of automobile use?

Topic 4 (free topic) : The Evolution of Transportation

Transportation is a very important part of history, today and the future. Because of transportation many people and businesses are able to survive. Transportation does not just involve business but it can also be for personal means. Ships are one of the oldest and most important means of transportation. Many kinds of ships are used to carry the world's trade. Giant tankers are used to carry petroleum, vegetable oil, wines and other liquids. Refrigerator ships can carry fresh fruits, meats and vegetables.

 The first era of life people just walking and they do not know that would call logistic. With just walking the movement still can happen. They used to deliver a goods sending by themselves. Not use any tools and kind of transportation. The goods have move from one place to another.

After that, they start to learn new thing it is call riding. Usually they will ride animal such as horses and camels. These riding methods not only create to move people but also the stuff. Most of people use the riding horse or we can call it as transportation to make the work more easier. For example, if the destination is far from the origin place they do not need to walk and be so tired when arrived.

One step to another step they were doing some improvement to move further in transportation. After riding a live animal they started to make an innovation to their transportation. They will drive instead of riding. Therefore they can finish their job more quickly.

Nowadays, the transportation industry become the most needed things in the world. The evolution of transportation teaches us the value of the movement itself. Just imagine if the first revolution of transportation doesn't exist. How about today's high technology of transportation will happen? Indeed we must be thankful for the first one who creates this method. We already know that there have many modes of transportation such as air, sea, railway, road and pipeline. Our job is to make sure these technologies will become more hi-tech for the future. We bear the responsibilities as a future logistician.

Topic 3 : "Drive Less, Save More"

Traffic congestion takes a heavy toll on residents, our economy and the environment. Drive Less Save More seeks to reduce single-occupant car trips and vehicle miles traveled as a means of better managing the demand put on our transportation system and minimizing the environmental impacts of vehicle use. To reduce this problem, we got some strategies such as trip chaining and/or use of transportation options, including transit, ride-sharing, teleworking, biking and walking.

But when we go through on logistics concept, Drive Less Save More, majority all company set their strategies on this proverb. This is happened because all company want capital for their transportation decrease and that will increase their profit. Some example that we will see is one company want send their product at Sri Lanka, at the same time got another one company also want send their product to Sri Lanka, they can share the transportation to reduce their cost of transportation. It can save their money and also energy.

Transportation is the largest single source of air pollution in the United States. Fortunately, clean vehicle and fuel technologies can significantly reduce air pollution from cars and trucks. Hybrid, electric, and fuel-cell technologies are increasingly coming to market and offer long-term solutions to reduce global warming emissions.

Furthermore, instead of companies operating their own dedicated logistics, he envisions greater sharing, and less duplication of effort. Rather than many standalone warehouses, we would have "open hubs" as distribution centers. And, as with the Internet, there would be universal protocols for how goods pass through, and a universal packet size (as with the standard 40 foot shipping container, but a lot smaller). The result would be less waste, and less harm to the environment.

Let we see on public transportation, like bus or taxi, this transportation can make people easy to go anywhere without driving by their own. Public transport has also helped people around us, but the irresponsibility that is at the driver has obscures the eyes of the public to refuse to take the public transport. One example of irresponsible drivers is increasing prices of as he wished, not punctual, dangerous driving and more. But not all bus drivers like this. Let’s take the bus or taxi for drive less, save more.

Date of published: 16th February 2014

Topic 2 (free topic): How to improve the quality of transportation services

Transportation service is one of the important for the logistic process. It involved many party that working together to achieve the target. It is strongly connect with the customer satisfaction. When the service is good, then the company of transportation service will growth up very well. Most of customers want a good quality instead of quantity. There are many ways to improve quality of transportation such as increase speed of shipment, good communication with customers, the journey of shipment must follow the requirement and it will become higher satisfaction if there is no delay in along the process.

The first way is increase service speed. Even the speed in increase they must make sure it is not affecting the conditions of goods itself. It is because anything can happen if the shipment moves to fast. The goods can damages. Most important is the goods arrive to customer in good condition and with appropriate time. They can compete with other company if can deliver a goods quickly than others. Therefore, it is a good way to improve quality of transportation service and satisfied the customers.

The quality also can improve by having a good communication with customers. For example we give the customer the right info about the shipment schedule or delivery time. If we do not have a good communication with customers, they will not know the status of shipment and it will give a bad impact to the company. It is clear here that the good communication will improve the quality of transportation within the customer and the seller. How about the delay in transportation process? Of course it will unsatisfied the customer because if one process delays it will affect the entire process. We need the strategy how to get no delay along the process. We can fix it by follow the schedule as it been set.

 Other than that, the shipment itself must follow the requirement. There have many aspect of requirement such as the vehicle and the rules of shipment and transportation. The quality depends on how they operate and manage the transportation. They must follow the truck requirement such as condition of tyre and the freight rate. If the entire requirement is followed then the quality of transportation will also improve.

In conclusion, the customer satisfaction is the main reason why we need to improve the quality of transportation. Moreover the company also get benefits because many customers want to deal again if the services are good. 

Date of published: 9th February 2014

Topic 1: Provide opinion how the transportation provider response and face the pricing increase of fuel.

Nowadays the economy of Malaysia was affecting many things. This is including the increasing of fuel price. The transportation providers need to face this situation. This is because even the price increase they still need to provide the service. Therefore the company of transportation providers have to find the way to keep the best service and meet customer requirements. From our opinion the transportation providers face the pricing fuel issues by create more consolidation of shipment, make an innovation to their transport and apply the concept of fully utilized.

To face this critical situation they also can make an innovation to the transport itself. For example they can change the basic engine to bio diesel. For sure this innovation involved a lot of investment but for a long time it can help to reduce the cost especially the fuel cost. Besides that they also can apply the concept of fully utilized. When the shipment is move from point of origin to the point of consumption with full utilized shipment then it must have same used of space of shipment when it is return. This concept can rely when the fuel pricing was increased.

In Malaysia, all the transportation providers must face the unstable economy. However they need to run their business even the price of fuel is increased day by day. What happen if they stop their business because of this issue? Of course the logistics in Malaysia cannot run well. The manufacturer cannot run a production and customer cannot get their product as well. Therefore, by hook or by crook they must face and find a solution to get through of this situation and at the same time they still can get the profit.

For the first time the price of fuel increase, the transportation providers must have badly responses. When the fuel price increases most products also get the impact. Raw material will be high cost. Government side also need to control the price of product. In conclusion, the transportation providers must have their own way to solve the issue of increasing fuel price in Malaysia.

Date of published: 9th February 2014