Malaysia Digital (MD) status company Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (Asia Mobiliti) has emphasised that its appointment as one of two companies selected for the Selangor Mobility demand-responsive transit (DRT) service was done publicly nearly a year ago.
In a statement today, the company’s board of directors said it had been subjected to a recent online campaign by certain unidentified parties that have cast doubts on the process by which the company was appointed.
They also said that they were considering the possibility of legal action over the matter.
“As a company committed to its responsibilities towards its clients and shareholders, we take these recent accusations seriously and will exercise our legal options where necessary in safeguarding our reputation and credibility.
“We view this as an unsubstantiated attack against a Malaysian technology start-up,” they said.
The company’s directors said its appointment as one of two DRT service providers for the Selangor Mobility programme was first announced at a public forum organised by the Selangor state government with Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) and Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) on June 15, 2023.
“This was followed by the official unveiling of the Selangor Mobility brand logo and zone announcement at the Selangor Smart City & Digital Economy Convention on Oct 20, 2023.
“This appointment was also announced in our press release at that time, which was carried by various news agencies and published on our website,” they added.
‘Everything above board’
Last Monday, Selangor state Investment, Trade and Mobility Committee chairperson Ng Sze Han said Asia Mobiliti was one of two companies selected and that both companies had been approved by the Land Public Transport Agency.
Co-founder Premesh Chandran yesterday defended the firm’s role after questions were posed regarding possible preferential treatment since Asia Mobiliti chief executive officer Ramachandran Muniandy is the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
“Rest assured, everything is above board, we would not partake in anything unethical or underhanded,” he said in a social media post yesterday.
Today’s statement said that the company, which was co-founded in 2018 by Premesh and Ramachandran, has since earned global and regional recognition, which includes being the Newton Ungku Omar Fund Grand Challenge 2019 winner.
It was a global semi-finalist for Toyota Mobility Foundation’s 2020 Catch challenge, a global Top 150 semi-finalist for X-Pitch 2021, and the sole Malaysian representative in the Entrepreneurship World Cup Global Finals 2022.
Asia Mobiliti was also the winner of the Carsome Mobility Lab accelerator programme, the first auto ecosystem-focused accelerator in Southeast Asia.
“We regularly bid for tenders and like any other competitive business, we are successful with some and not so successful with others.
“Being a highly transparent and ethical business which is an extension of the personal values of our co-founders, we abhor collusion and anti-competitive practices by any party, especially government agencies and corporates,” said the directors.
They said in the context of the Selangor Mobility appointment process, they understand the reasons given for awarding two companies instead of one.
“An open tender in this situation of a highly specialised new service and with only two qualified companies in Malaysia would have created a monopoly situation in the state.
“This would have stifled competitiveness and robbed the opportunity for the state to pilot the service in a real-world setting and assess the performance of the service providers over a reasonable period of time,” they claimed.
Nine-month period
Asia Mobiliti added that it must be noted that the appointment is only for a period of nine months and requires extensive investment from both service providers in terms of procuring vehicles, hiring drivers, continuous optimisation, and development of the technology that powered the service.
“The state received the best value for its investment and provided the opportunity for two companies to prove themselves and design a new service for the state, which is arguably the first of its kind state programme anywhere in Southeast Asia.
“The success of the Selangor Mobility programme has also led to Prasarana and the Transport Ministry announcing the adoption of DRT as a replacement for conventional feeder bus services with RapidKL running a wildly successful pilot in May 2023 with Trek Rides in UM-Bangsar South, which we continue to operate independently,” said the Asia Mobiliti directors.
According to today’s statement, DRT is a ground-breaking technology for public transport that enables on-demand shared rides services.
It uses intelligent, machine-learning algorithms to automate fleet dispatch and optimise vehicle routing to accomplish efficient pick-up and drop-off of passengers headed to various destinations.
“Bookings are made via a passenger app while drivers are guided by a driver app.
“Operating within a geofenced zone, this provides for more efficient and cost-effective first-and-last-mile passenger services, freed from a fixed schedule and fixed route of conventional public transport services,” it said. - Mkini
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