Zipabout and Asia Mobility Collaborate to Promote More Efficient Public Transportation in Malaysia
British tech company Zipabout and Malaysian mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) platform company Asia Mobility have announced a government-backed collaboration to improve transport access for millions of people in Kuala Lumpur.
The official signing ceremony of the Cooperation Agreement took place at the British High Commission in the capital of Malaysia, which was hosted by the British High Commissioner in Malaysia, His Excellency Charles Hay MVO. The event was also attended by guests from the Department of Business and Trade and Capital A (formerly known as Air Asia).
The technology collaboration will provide commuters using the complex public transport networks in the Klang Valley region with more accurate, real-time travel information, including personalized crash updates. It aims to help residents travel seamlessly using various forms of public transport throughout Malaysia and help reduce the use of private cars. The behavioral data generated by the project will enable Malaysian transport operators to reroute existing services and create new routes to improve access to sustainable transport, especially among underserved populations.
His Excellency Charles Hay, British High Commissioner for Malaysia, said:
“I am delighted to be part of the signing of this exciting agreement between Zipabout and Asia Mobility while Zipabout participates in the Midlands Sustainable Cities trade mission organized by the Department of Business and Trade in partnership with WIPPD. I was particularly encouraged by the news that the parties met for the first time through the Newton-Ungku Omar Foundation, supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Department.
“I really hope to learn more about the test results in due course. The UK and Malaysia have a lot to offer each other, especially in the smart city sector. We want to foster more mutually beneficial partnerships like this.”
The service will launch later this year with a six-month trial of the multimodal travel planner powered by MaaS Asia Mobility, coupled with real-time Zipabout multimodal travel updates delivered directly to passengers via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Sophisticated data processing technology from Zipabout will generate real-time predictive passenger intent and congestion data to identify areas with high traffic demand but poor access.
Daniel Cheek, CTO of Zipabout, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with Asia Mobility on this project in Malaysia to improve and democratize social mobility in such a densely populated urban area. It builds on the work we are already doing in the UK with local authorities such as Oxfordshire County Council to support their strategic transport objectives, streamline networks and drive sustainable behavioral change.
“It’s great to be able to help improve public transport in Kuala Lumpur, one of Asia’s largest cities. Our work here with Asia Mobility will map demand, improve the flow of information in real time, and provide public transport passengers with easier access to a sustainable, efficient and affordable alternative to boarding a car.”
Ramachandran Muniandi, CEO and co-founder of Asia Mobility, said:
“We share Zipabout’s goal of driving sustainable behavioral change with our real-time trip planner to help passengers easily visualize their entire multi-modal journey, thereby promoting public transport use.
“Partnership with Zipabout will bring personalized updates and notifications for travel delays, service interruptions and cancellations, all of which are mission-critical features required by public transport users in Malaysia today. The success story of this joint UK-Malaysia funding program through the Newton-Ungku Omar Foundation will do much to serve as a roadmap for Asia Mobility to bring this decision to the rest of South East Asia.”
The University of Birmingham-supported project was awarded the Newto Ungku Omar Fund Grand Challenge 2019. The project was initially evaluated in 2019, but further work was delayed until 2023 due to the Covid pandemic.
Post Zipabout and Asia Mobility are collaborating to promote more efficient use of public transport in Malaysia first appeared on Fintech Finance.
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