ASIA Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (Asia Mobiliti) today defended its involvement in Selangor’s new demand-responsive transit (DRT) service, saying only two companies in the country are qualified to provide the service it provides.

In a statement today, it said its appointment was done publicly nearly a year ago.

“An open tender in the appointment process for the Selangor Mobility programme would have created a monopoly in the state.

“This would have stifled competitiveness and robbed the state of the opportunity to pilot the service in a real-world setting and assess the service providers’ performance over a reasonable period,” it said.

The company’s board of directors claimed that 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.

“We view this as an unsubstantiated attack against a Malaysian technology start-up,” they said.

Questions have arisen on the possibility of preferential treatment in the tender process following revelations that Asia Mobiliti CEO Ramachandran Muniandy is the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

Asia Mobiliti was one of two companies selected for the DRT service to provide first- and last-mile public transport services within the state.

The statement also said that the company, which was founded in 2018, has since earned global and regional recognition, which includes being the Newton Ungku Omar Fund Grand Challenge 2019 winner.

“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,” it said. 

“We view the recent accusations seriously and would exercise our legal options,” it added. – May 27, 2024.