Malaysia will be holding its second autonomous electric bus trial in Putrajaya as soon as this year, according to The Star. The technology, which transport minister Anthony Loke said will have the potential to improve the country’s worsening traffic situation, is a result of a collaboration between autonomous vehicle solutions provider eMooVit Technology, 5G network provider Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) and Ericsson.
The three companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and has since held several proof-of-concept trials for the technologies used in the buses. These include 5G public WiFi, real-time remote vehicle and telemetry data monitoring, in-vehicle CCTV and a journey log collection without passengers. The small buses (you might even call them bas mini), have covered over 1,000 km in these trials, said eMooVit CEO Hairi Zamzuri.
A demonstration was held in Cyberjaya yesterday next to the JPJePlate event, attended by Loke and digital minister Gobind Singh. The latter said the success of these trials showcased how Malaysia’s digital transformation could improve the delivery of public services.
Loke added that the government is considering amending laws to support the development of autonomous vehicles, referencing examples from other countries. “We need to take steps to see the future because maybe now it is not yet mainstream. But maybe in 10, 20 years, most of our public transportation systems will no longer use humans as drivers. They can be autonomous. Now, most of them still need drivers,” he said.
eMooVit’s autonomous vehicle technology was previously used in a trial conducted by Rapid Bus in October 2022, held on the Sunway BRT line after service hours. This, by the way, is separate from the autonomous rapid transit (ART) trials also being held this year, which use articulated trackless trams.
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