A Selangor state agency is working with ride-hailing giant Grab Malaysia to explore the development of mobility solutions for the state.

Smart Selangor Delivery Unit (SSDU) Innovations Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Menteri Besar Selangor Inc (MBI), has recently inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Grab Malaysia.

The collaboration will focus on realising the objectives of Smart Selangor’s Smart Traffic and Mobility Initiative which aims to increase the use of public transportation, improve pedestrian mobility and reduce traffic in major city centres.

SSDU MD Dr Fahmi Ngah said the collaboration marks a significant milestone in enabling real-time data-based policies for more effective solutions to be deployed at both the state and local municipalities.

“We will develop together several new initiatives to further improve the citizens’ experience of the Smart Selangor bus services,” he said in a statement.

SSDU is a Selangor state-mandated entity responsible for planning and implementing smart initiatives to realise the vision of Selangor as a premier regional smart state by 2025.

The Smart Selangor initiative, which began in late 2015, aims to leverage on the Internet of Things solutions to improve the quality of life for all its citizens.

The master plan is to promote social inclusion which focuses on stronger links between the government and the citizens involved, and address urban and rural needs by using technology as a key enabler.

With the vision of being ranked in the top 20 smart cities in the world in the next few years, the Selangor state government has listed 12 domains under the project’s master blueprint.

Forming the core domains of this modern technology initiatives are smart waste management, smart transport and mobility, smart governance and smart digital infrastructure.

In the same statement, Grab business development head JJ Tan said Grab believes that every Malaysian should benefit from the digital economy.

“We firmly believe that through our services and capabilities, as well as working with our partners, we would be able to support in providing better mobility solutions.

“Our aim is to be able to integrate our services with public transportation, allowing our customers to move seamlessly across multiple modes in one journey, reducing congestion while getting a more affordable ride”, he said.

Six-year-old Grab, which bought out Uber Technologies Inc in South-East Asia earlier this year, is the largest ride-hailing player in the region. — TMR