Transport Minister Anthony Loke has encouraged local developers to use publicly available transport data to build navigation applications, following the government’s ban on civil servants using Waze for official duties. Speaking after launching Phase Three of the Masjid Jamek LRT station upgrading project in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Loke said the Transport Ministry had adopted an open-data policy several years ago to encourage the development of applications that make public transport more accessible to commuters.
“Public transport data has been open for several years,” he said. Loke was responding to questions about whether the ministry would support the local application ecosystem following the government’s push for Malaysians to consider locally developed navigation alternatives to Waze.
He explained that Prasarana Malaysia has made various types of public transport information available, including daily ridership figures, train frequencies and service timetables. However, the Transport Ministry’s role primarily concerns public transport, while road-related information falls under the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA), the Works Ministry and the Public Works Department (JKR).
Govt Pushing Local Apps As Alternatives
The government’s renewed interest in local navigation apps follows Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recommendation for Malaysians to consider using TuJu. Anwar previously raised concerns about the security of movement data handled by Waze, citing the app’s exposure to Israeli laws. The government subsequently prohibited civil servants from using Waze for official duties, although the restriction does not amount to a general ban on public use.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has also said the government intends to work with local navigation platforms, including TuJu and Pintaz, to improve their services. This includes expanding TuJu’s coverage beyond highways to provide traffic information for ordinary roads.
For public transport, commuters can use local apps such as MyRapid PULSE for Rapid KL and Rapid Penang services, GoKL for Kuala Lumpur’s free city buses, and Smart Selangor SITS for participating bus routes across Selangor. Malaysian-made Zupp and Moovit also offer public transport journey planning. Meanwhile, non-local alternatives for general navigation include Google Maps, Apple Maps, HERE WeGo, Sygic and Petal Maps.
Local Navigation Apps Must Improve To Compete
A recent report by Bernama highlighted the challenges facing homegrown navigation apps, with local experts stressing the importance of accuracy, real-time traffic updates and system reliability. Platforms such as TuJu and Pintaz could help strengthen Malaysia’s technological capabilities, but their competitiveness should ultimately depend on their performance rather than their country of origin.
The report also highlighted the need for more comprehensive and regularly updated location databases, particularly when finding amenities such as petrol stations, EV charging stations, ATMs, medical centres and restaurants. The experts added that local apps should demonstrate clear and measurable progress, as well as compare their performance against established navigation platforms using identical routes and traffic conditions.
Developers and interested members of the public can browse the government’s open-data portal at data.gov.my, which provides datasets covering areas such as public transport ridership trends and service frequencies. There are also community-maintained datasets on GitHub, including the Malaysia Public Transport Analytics project.
(Source: The Edge Malaysia / Bernama)
