• Philips to implement better lighting thanks to Innovation That Matters To You campaign
• Winning idea calls for LED fitted bus stops utilizing solar power for brighter and safer environment

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia) – Imagine a bus stop fitted with LED lightings that intensify in brightness when natural light is poor, allowing commuters to enjoy a brighter and safer environment while waiting for their desired buses to arrive.

This meaningful innovation will soon become a reality as a result of Innovation That Matters To You, a programme aimed at creating safer cities and healthier homes in Malaysia through idea submissions from Malaysians.

The Malaysian leg of this immensely successful campaign by Philips came to a fitting end with the winning idea garnering 46% of the total number of votes cast by the public. The month long voting process, which consisted of six shortlisted ideas, raked in more than 1,000 votes.

The winning idea, which is the brainchild of Gary Hor, 26, a young executive from Penang, calls for bus stops in Malaysia to be fitted with adequate lighting that intensifies in brightness when there are people waiting within its vicinity, especially when natural lighting is sparse. Hor also suggested using solar energy to recharge the lights during the day to make his ‘idea’ sustainable and cost-effective for implementation.

Currently living in Kuala Lumpur, Hor conceived the idea when he recalled his experience of using public transportation to work. "I used to face lots of difficulties using the bus to commute to and from my home and workplace. Waiting alone at bus stops especially at night made me feel unsafe since most do not have adequate lighting while some (bus stops) have no lighting at all," said Hor.

Hor said there were instances that he missed busses as the driver wasn’t able to notice him standing at the poorly lit or unlit bus stops. And now with the increasing crime rates in the country, he believes proper lighting can actually prevent some crimes from happening.

Philips Group of Companies (Malaysia) Country Manager, Muhammad Ali Jaleel, said the eight-week duration of the campaign saw much interest, especially on social media, which is why the campaign was hugely successful.

"We received over 1,000 idea submissions from across the country during our crowdsourcing phase last year. These ideas not only identified various challenges but offered solutions under two sub-themes – healthy homes and safer cities."

"From these, we selected the best and most sustainable ideas which were further shortlisted to six. They were then offered up for public voting and ultimately, it was people power that voted in Hor’s idea," he said.

Innovation That Matters To You campaign is part of a Philips’ Asia Pacific wide campaign to provide meaningful solutions that can improve the quality of life through better health and wellbeing. The programme has been developed by listening to and understanding the real need of the communities it’s catered for and by partnering with local stakeholders. Upon the selection of the winning idea, Philips will work with private and public sector partners to bring the ideas to reality.

For more information on the local Malaysia platform of the Innovation That Matters To You campaign, follow the conversations via #meaningfulinnovation available on Facebook or Twitter (@PhilipsMY)