CYBERJAYA: Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government is considering amending laws to support the digitalisation and development of autonomous vehicles (AV) or or self-driving vehicles.
Loke said the ministry remains open to this matter, as it reflects a global technological advancement.
"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."We are taking initial steps to assess how far we can implement this, and certainly, we can make legislative amendments to support the digitalisation of vehicles," he told reporters at eMoovit Technology Sdn Bhd's 5G demonstration on autonomous bus today.
Loke said there is no timeline since the proof of concept (POC) for the autonomous bus is still being run.
"The parties that are given the authority to run the POC can also give an opinion on what form of invitation or move is needed."At the Ministry of Transport, we are ready to assist. I believe this matter needs to be examined through examples from other countries that already have a legal framework in place."So far, Malaysia does not yet have a legal framework for autonomous vehicles, so we need to look at examples from abroad as a reference," he said.
Loke added that the ministry is prepared to facilitate the development of AVs and move in tandem with commercialisation.
"Therefore, the Ministry of Transport can facilitate in terms of legislation, but we also need to look at its commercialisation, because it's pointless to have a legal framework without its practical application," he added.
Today, eMoovit conducted a demonstration showcasing various 5G-enabled applications aimed at improving user experience and safety on an autonomous electric bus, which is currently in the testing phase for future deployment.
It was attended by Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
The initiative is part of a collaboration that stems from a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in May 2024 between Digital Nasional Bhd, Ericsson, and eMoovit.
The POC trial highlights 5G use cases, including in-vehicle public Wi-Fi connectivity, real-time remote monitoring of the bus, and journey log collection.
eMoovit announced that it is set to conduct a passenger service trial for its 5G autonomous bus in Putrajaya during the fourth quarter of this year, with operations expected to begin within three months.
Its chief executive officer Dr. Hairi Zamzuri said the trial aims to raise public awareness by gathering feedback, emphasising the importance of building a close relationship with the public when introducing such technology.