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Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) releases white paper on ASEAN transportation systems (PDF Type, 169 kByte)

October 15, 2015

Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) releases white paper on ASEAN transportation systems

Manila, Philippines, Malaysia, October 15, 2015 — Hitachi Asia Ltd. today announced that its community relations program, the Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI), has released a white paper containing ideas and recommendations for more efficient transportation systems within ASEAN. The white paper is based on events and activities that transpired before and during the 13th HYLI held in Makati City, Philippines.

The 13th HYLI gathered 31 students from 8 nations from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. These students interacted with experts and professionals from public and private sectors to discuss issues based on the theme, “ASEAN Perspectives on the Social and Environmental Challenges of Designing and Implementing Public Transportation Systems”, focusing on finding inclusive and sustainable solutions for public transportation in ASEAN countries.

During the four-day event, the students had the opportunity to listen to an elite line-up of speakers who shared their thoughts and opinions about the issues that ASEAN is facing in transportation, and the possible solutions to help alleviate them. Community integration was also a part of the experience, with the students getting an opportunity to immerse themselves in urban communities in Taguig City, one of Metro Manila’s busiest districts.

The highlights of the event were the presentations made by the students, showcasing all that they have learned from their speakers, mentors, and from their field experience. Combining these new learnings with their research about their respective countries’ unique situations, the presentations touched on sustainability of public transportation while channeling options to make their solutions tailor-fit to the modern lifestyle of stakeholders.

Student presentations were divided into four groups. The first two groups were given the opportunity to work on ideas based on the sub-theme: An overview of the infrastructural options for people-centric and environment-friendly transportation systems. In essence, both groups agree that the welfare of the stakeholders is important when promoting the use of public transportation. Unfortunately, the poor condition of public facilities and the unfavorable infrastructure systems are forcing people to choose private vehicles instead. To convince them to consider using public transportation facilities, the students propose transport hubs, environment-friendly resources for vehicles, feeder systems, and integrated IT solutions.

Working under the other sub-theme: Shaping a culture of sharing: Lifestyle changes for efficient transportation, student groups 3 and 4 pointed to poor infrastructure, lack of coordination between government and private sector, inaccessibility of proper information, and traffic congestion as the main reasons why society must appreciate the need to adopt a culture of sharing. Three key solutions came up during the students’ presentations: incentives by government to private companies for ride sharing promotion; mobile app development and big data analytics to provide the public with the right information; and telecommuting to reduce the use of transportation and decongest the roads.

“The 13th HYLI has sparked a series of active discussions among students, experts, leaders and local communities on the challenges of inclusive mobility in ASEAN. This white paper captures the voices of those affected by public transportation issues and wish to make a difference. As such, we would like to share it with those who think the same,” said Mr. Ichiro Iino, Chief Executive for Asia Pacific, Hitachi, Ltd., and Chairman, Hitachi Asia Ltd.

The white paper can be downloaded from https://www.hitachi.com.sg/about/hitachi/activities/hyli/library.html
For more information on HYLI, please visit https://www.hitachi.com.sg/about/hitachi/activities/hyli/index.html

About Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI)

The “Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative” (HYLI) is a community relations programme that aims to identify and nurture potential Asian leaders by bringing them together to discuss regional issues with influential government officials, prominent business leaders, academics and NGO representatives. Since its inauguration in Singapore in 1996, the HYLI has been successful in bringing the best and brightest students in Asia together. From 2015, Myanmar will join existing participating countries Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan in the program. The initiative offers student participants a unique platform to broaden their outlook on regional and global issues while promoting Asian values and cross-cultural understanding. For more information, please visit https://www.hitachi.com.sg/about/hitachi/activities/hyli/index.html.

About Hitachi Asia Ltd.

Hitachi Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. and established in Singapore in 1989, has offices across seven Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam). Focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, Hitachi Asia’s business includes information systems, power and industrial systems, R&D, international procurement and Centre of Excellence. For more information on Hitachi Asia, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.sg.