Thesis (M.Econ.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 83-87). Also available in print.

Esta pesquisa trata da percepção da inovação por parte dos usuários e clientes no mercado rodoviário brasileiro de transporte de pessoas, mais especificamente das tecnologias e inovações presentes nos chassis de ônibus rodoviário. Recentemente, este setor sofreu forte transformação voltando-se à simplificação de ceículos e componentes e a uma consequentemente redução das inovações e tecnologias utilizadas nos veículos. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi identificar os aspectos ligados à percepção da inovação em chassis de ônibus rodoviários sob as óticas de clientes e usuários finais do sistema de transporte. Esta pesquisa tembém identificou quais fatores presentes nos ônibus rodoviários foram apontados como significativos sob a ótica dos usuários e quais inovações e tecnologias são conhecidas da maioria dos passageiros. Este trabalho também identificou quais fatores levam as empresas de transporte rodoviário adquirir determinados modelos de chassis em detrimento a outros mais especificados, com maior número de tecnologias e inovações embarcadas. Para a realização desta pesquisa foi adotado o procedimento de documentação direta de uma situação de mercado, com a coleta de dados realizada junto a 159 usuários - passageiros - de transporte rodoviário de passageiros, mais especificamente aqueles que utilizam a cidade de Curitiba como rota para seus itinerários de viagem. Também foram entrevistados 28 clientes pertencentes a 20 empresas do sistema de transporte, definidos nesta pesquisa como empresas de transporte rodoviário de pessoas e as empresas que fabricam a carroçaria dos ônibus rodoviários. Como resultado, a pesquisa disgnosticou a falta de percepção de inovação e a consequente indiferença por parte dos usuários no momento de escolher uma empresa ou veículo de transporte para viajar. Com relação às empresas de transporte de passageiros foi identificada uma forte tendência à aquisição de veículos que ofereçam tão somente um custo atrativo. Por mais que os clientes de chassis de ônibus identifiquem e reconheçam os benefícios de algumas inovações e tecnologias disponíveis no setor, o fator custo é determinante para a quisição da frota na maioria das empresas. Essa estratégia adotada pode, inclusive, ter sido responsável pelo recente aumento no número de acidentes envolvendo ônibus rodoviários nas estradas brasileiras. / This research becomes to the innovation perception of users - passengers - and clients - people transportation companies and bodybuilder companies - within Brazilian transportation market, specifically technologies an innovations applied in the coaches. Recently this field has suffered a hard change becoming to low end vehicles and components. As consequence this market presents a reduction of innovations and technologies applied in the coaches. The main research achievement was to identify by lens of clients and passengers of Brazilian transportation sytem the aspects relative to innovation perception at coach chassis. This research has identified which faactors or features embodied in the vehicles were appointed as strongly significant according to passenger vision and also which sort of innovations are recognized by them. The research also identified the factors that lead the transport companies to acquire some simplified chassis instead of other ones with technologies and innovations embarked. The research accomplishment required adopts a methodology based ondirect market documentation. Its data acquisition was done with 159 passengers of Brazilian road transporte system; specifically those are using the Curitiba city bus station as part of trip journey. Also were interviewed 28 clients from 20 companies of transportation system, which are defined as companies of passengers transport, as well as, body builder factories. As expected results the research showed the complete lack of awareness and insensibility regarding to users when they are choosing a bus or company to travel. However, result identified by passenger transportation companies shows a strong trend to acquire products based on low end attractiveness or appeal. No matter how much the coach clients have been identified and even recognized some innovations and technologies benefits available in this market, the cost issue is determining factor to fleet acquisition in the majority of the companies. Thiss strategy adopted by passenger transport companies could contribute for the recent raise of accidents involving coaches at Brazilizn roads. / 5000-11-25

Esta pesquisa trata da percepção da inovação por parte dos usuários e clientes no mercado rodoviário brasileiro de transporte de pessoas, mais especificamente das tecnologias e inovações presentes nos chassis de ônibus rodoviário. Recentemente, este setor sofreu forte transformação voltando-se à simplificação de ceículos e componentes e a uma consequentemente redução das inovações e tecnologias utilizadas nos veículos. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi identificar os aspectos ligados à percepção da inovação em chassis de ônibus rodoviários sob as óticas de clientes e usuários finais do sistema de transporte. Esta pesquisa tembém identificou quais fatores presentes nos ônibus rodoviários foram apontados como significativos sob a ótica dos usuários e quais inovações e tecnologias são conhecidas da maioria dos passageiros. Este trabalho também identificou quais fatores levam as empresas de transporte rodoviário adquirir determinados modelos de chassis em detrimento a outros mais especificados, com maior número de tecnologias e inovações embarcadas. Para a realização desta pesquisa foi adotado o procedimento de documentação direta de uma situação de mercado, com a coleta de dados realizada junto a 159 usuários - passageiros - de transporte rodoviário de passageiros, mais especificamente aqueles que utilizam a cidade de Curitiba como rota para seus itinerários de viagem. Também foram entrevistados 28 clientes pertencentes a 20 empresas do sistema de transporte, definidos nesta pesquisa como empresas de transporte rodoviário de pessoas e as empresas que fabricam a carroçaria dos ônibus rodoviários. Como resultado, a pesquisa disgnosticou a falta de percepção de inovação e a consequente indiferença por parte dos usuários no momento de escolher uma empresa ou veículo de transporte para viajar. Com relação às empresas de transporte de passageiros foi identificada uma forte tendência à aquisição de veículos que ofereçam tão somente um custo atrativo. Por mais que os clientes de chassis de ônibus identifiquem e reconheçam os benefícios de algumas inovações e tecnologias disponíveis no setor, o fator custo é determinante para a quisição da frota na maioria das empresas. Essa estratégia adotada pode, inclusive, ter sido responsável pelo recente aumento no número de acidentes envolvendo ônibus rodoviários nas estradas brasileiras. / This research becomes to the innovation perception of users - passengers - and clients - people transportation companies and bodybuilder companies - within Brazilian transportation market, specifically technologies an innovations applied in the coaches. Recently this field has suffered a hard change becoming to low end vehicles and components. As consequence this market presents a reduction of innovations and technologies applied in the coaches. The main research achievement was to identify by lens of clients and passengers of Brazilian transportation sytem the aspects relative to innovation perception at coach chassis. This research has identified which faactors or features embodied in the vehicles were appointed as strongly significant according to passenger vision and also which sort of innovations are recognized by them. The research also identified the factors that lead the transport companies to acquire some simplified chassis instead of other ones with technologies and innovations embarked. The research accomplishment required adopts a methodology based ondirect market documentation. Its data acquisition was done with 159 passengers of Brazilian road transporte system; specifically those are using the Curitiba city bus station as part of trip journey. Also were interviewed 28 clients from 20 companies of transportation system, which are defined as companies of passengers transport, as well as, body builder factories. As expected results the research showed the complete lack of awareness and insensibility regarding to users when they are choosing a bus or company to travel. However, result identified by passenger transportation companies shows a strong trend to acquire products based on low end attractiveness or appeal. No matter how much the coach clients have been identified and even recognized some innovations and technologies benefits available in this market, the cost issue is determining factor to fleet acquisition in the majority of the companies. Thiss strategy adopted by passenger transport companies could contribute for the recent raise of accidents involving coaches at Brazilizn roads. / 5000-11-25

Time keeps on changing our perception of what is possible in our personal life and around us. Over time, jobs such as elevator operator was essential to make the elevator keep its speed, stop parallel to the floor and keep passengers safe in case of emergency. Nowadays elevator passengers just have to enter their destination and wait to be transported there. An operator would be superfluous for this, today, simple procedure. This paper aims to create a set of interaction strategies to provide an efficient and pleasurable journey for the passenger traveling with an autonomous bus, as well as evaluate concepts where these strategies have been applied. The strategies and concepts will be developed from an extensive user- and literature research where the situation of today will be analysed and looked upon with the eyes of tomorrow, to find challenges and needs. Findings shows that passengers have to trust the vehicle and service. At the same time vehicle and service providers have to provide a reliable and consistent service. Four design directions were created to establish this trust between the user and vehicle and service. To enable control and give passengers an efficient journey, passengers have to be provided with adequate and reliable information. The information regarding the bus’s behaviour should be communicated in a transparent way so the bus’s intentions and actions are understandable from a passenger point of view. Also, passengers have to be enabled to stay safe when using the bus, during commuting and emergency, through giving them cues in how an emergency should be handled.

Em vigência desde Janeiro de 2012, a regulamentação Proconve P7 para veículos comerciais pesados exige que a demonstração de emissões de poluentes do motor seja realizada no ciclo de teste transiente europeu (ETC), desenvolvido de acordo com perfil de condução tipicamente europeu e assim pouco representativo de diversas situações de tráfego no Brasil. Especialmente quanto a aplicações de ônibus urbanos, altamente dinâmicas e submetidas a perfis de baixa velocidade e média carga, não é possível correlacionar plenamente o funcionamento do motor e seus sistemas de controle de emissões baseando-se apenas neste ciclo. Com essa motivação, o principal objetivo deste estudo é desenvolver ciclos de teste compactos para banco de provas de chassis e de motores que representem as condições reais de condução de ônibus urbanos da cidade de São Paulo. Estes ciclos de teste específicos possibilitam avaliações mais precisas não apenas das emissões de poluentes, mas também do consumo de combustível, além de proporcionarem melhor compreensão do real desempenho de motores e novas tecnologias dos sistemas de propulsão usados em frotas de ônibus urbanos no Brasil. A metodologia aplicada para construção dos ciclos utiliza o conceito de potência específica veicular (VSP), variável que apresenta alta correlação com emissões de poluentes e consumo de combustível e é calculada a partir de dados coletados em condições reais de condução de ônibus (velocidade, aceleração e inclinação das vias). A seleção dos veículos e linhas para realização das aquisições de dados considera tanto as especificações de trem-de-força e de chassis disponíveis na frota, como também os índices operacionais e a topografia dos trajetos como métodos para determinação de linhas com perfil operacional mais representativo. Como resultado do estudo foram propostos cinco ciclos de teste, um para cada tipo de ônibus selecionado (miniônibus, midiônibus, básico, padron e articulado), e as análises comparativas com o ciclo ETC quanto ao comportamento do motor mostram claramente a falta de representatividade do ciclo europeu adotado pela regulamentação brasileira. / Since January 2012, the Proconve P7 regulation is mandatory for heavy duty commercial vehicles requiring that the demonstration of pollutant gases emissions must be carried out by submitting the engine to the European transient test cycle (ETC), which has been developed according to European driving patterns and therefore is not representative of several driving situations in Brazil. Particularly for driving patterns of urban buses, which are highly dynamic with low vehicle speed and medium load profiles, it is not possible to fully correlate the operating conditions of the engine and its emission control systems based only on this test cycle. With this motivation, the main objective of this study is to develop compact test cycles for use in both chassis and engine test benches that represent the actual driving pattern of transit buses in São Paulo city. These specific test cycles may allow more accurate assessment of pollutant gases emissions and fuel consumption, as well as provide a better understanding concerning the real performance of engines and new propulsion technologies used in urban bus fleets in Brazil. The methodology used for construction of the cycles is based on the concept of vehicle specific power (VSP), a variable that is highly correlated with pollutant emissions and fuel consumption and is calculated from data collected under real-world driving conditions (vehicle speed, acceleration and road grade). The selection of the buses and routes for the on-board data collection considers the specifications of powertrain and chassis that are available in the bus fleet of São Paulo\'s public transportation system, operational indexes and route topography as a method for determining the bus routes with a more representative operational pattern. As the result of this study five test cycles were proposed, one for each bus type (minibus, midibus, basic, padron and articulated), and an analysis of the engine\'s operating behavior in comparison to the ETC cycle clearly shows the lack of representativeness of the European cycle adopted by the Brazilian regulation.

From Preface: The following research is centred around the Grahamstown non-white urban transportation problem. The bus service under consideration is owned and operated by the Grahamstown Municipality and is attached to the City Fire Department. It caters only for non-white commuters by operating fourteen buses, which carry approximately 1 200 000 people per year. As such, the difficulties encountered by this transport service should be generally, though not entirely, applicable only to relatively small non-white transport undertakings. The aims of this research are threefold: 1. to establish the environment within which transport undertakings operate, the structure of the undertaking in response to this environment and the problems which such undertakings encounter in their daily operations ; 2. by analysing in detail a specific transport service, an attempt has been made to delineate problem areas in both the cost and revenue structures, and to ascertain the degree of management awareness of the existence of these problems ; and 3. to determine the social impact of this transport operation and to evaluate all aspects of the service in relation to commuters, business and social needs and wants. Unfortunately, an attempt to extend this type of research to further Eastern Cape urban areas was unsuccessful due to the refusal by certain transport undertakings and government bodies to provide essential information.

To achieve the widespread diffusion of autonomous electric buses (AEBs) and thus harness their environmental potential, a broad acceptance of new technology-based mobility concepts must be fostered. Still, there remains little known about the factors determining their acceptance, especially in the combination of vehicles with alternative fuels and autonomous driving modes, as is the case with AEBs. In this study, we first conducted qualitative research to identify relevant factors influencing individual acceptance of autonomously driven electric buses. We then developed a comprehensive research model that was validated through a survey of 268 passengers of an AEB, operated in regular road traffic in Germany. The results indicate that a mix of individual factors, social impacts, and system characteristics determine an individual’s acceptance of AEBs. Notably, it is important that users perceive AEBs, not only as advantageous, but also trustworthy, enjoyable, and in a positive social light. Our research supplements the existing corpora by demonstrating the importance of individual acceptance and incorporating it to derive policy implications.

Tento projekt se podrobně zaměřuje na data z avioniky a může být chápán jako horní vrstva nad systémy monitorujícími poruchy, která poskytuje dodatečné informace o letu. Pro konkrétní návrh byly vybrány Airbus A320 a A340 jako zástupci moderních a rozšířených dopravních letadel. Vyvíjená aplikace analyzuje dvě vybrané komplexní situace z toku dat palubní avioniky a hledá podmínky, které vedou k abnormálnímu chování letadla (nikoliv poruchám). Práce je primárně zaměřena na letové fáze, strukturu dat (a jejich kategorizaci) a na vývoj aplikace na bázi fuzzy systému s expertní znalostí uloženou v jeho pravidlech.

No description available.

Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa often send financial support to their relatives in Zimbabwe. This financial support is known as remittances and is sent as cash or in-kind. This study investigated the characteristics of the South African-Zimbabwe remittance corridor. A critical investigation of the remittance channels used, the type of remittances sent, and the remittance transaction costs involved was done. Data for use in this study was collected through interviews with remittance service providers and by actual remittance transfers to Zimbabwe. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of data using statistical analysis techniques was done. From the analyzed data, it was observed that remittance service providers fall into two channels: formal and informal. The informal remittance channels were found to be the most popular in this corridor. The popularity of informal channels can be attributed to lower transaction costs and a lack of documentation needed from the sender. Informal remittance channels do not require the remittance sender to provide any identification document, therefore, undocumented Zimbabwean migrants opt for them. Long-distance buses that serve the South Africa-Zimbabwe route were found to be a popular channel of sending remittances - both cash and in-kind - to Zimbabwe. In-kind remittances have gained popularity due to the perennial lack of household consumer goods in Zimbabwe. Due to the national lockdown imposed in South Africa as a response to the Covid19 global pandemic, the study was unable to find the volume of remittances that is sent through the informal longdistance buses and trucks. The lockdown resulted in the closure of borders and non-essential travel was not permitted. The study found that the remittance transaction cost in the South AfricaZimbabwe corridor was higher than the global average cost of 6.84% (for formal channels) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of 3% by the year 2030.