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The ride environment of the heavy vehicle driver is the product of the applied excitation and the response properties of the vehicle. Road surface roughness is considered as a major source of excitation. However, road sections with similar roughness values may have different roughness characteristics and ride qualities. This study showed that the perceived ride quality of truck drivers is influenced by the roughness content in the waveband 4.8-19.5m. Accordingly, a new roughness index was developed that gives good predictions of the perceived truck ride and correlates well with the levels of whole body vibrations transmitted through the driver's seat while traversing the test sections.

The Malaysia National Automotive Policy (NAP 2014) focuses on the systemic changes needed for the country to develop a competitive and sustainable automotive manufacturing sector. Alternative electric vehicles (EV) -including the public transport sector, in particular buses - forms part of this strategy. This also features in the Transport Scenarios for the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan for 2020. Kuala Lumpur's population is expected to reach 10 million by 2020, the current public transport system is beset by problems, e.g. route congestion, a growing trend of private car ownership among a rising middle-class, and a range of environmental and infrastructure issues which must be challenged. A human-centred design approach to public transport focuses on developing (future) scenarios to accommodate the 2020 economic, environmental and social considerations building on Design for Sustainability (DfS), user needs, behaviour change and inclusivity principles.