KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government has defended the appointment of Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd - a firm linked to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh's husband - for its Selangor Mobility initiative.
State Investment, Trade and Mobility Committee chairman Ng Sze Han said Asia Mobility was one of two companies selected for the demand responsive transit (DRT) pilot project, apart from Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd.
In a statement today, Ng said both companies selected for the project had been approved by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).
"Referring to the appointment of Asia Mobility as one of the service operators of the DRT Selangor Mobility pilot project, Apad has approved their participation in the proof of concept (POC) testing process of the Bus On Demand service for Asia Mobility (TrekRides) on Dec 22, 2022, and Badan Bas on Feb 24, 2023.
"Asia Mobility and Badan Bus have been invited to make a presentation to the DRT Pilot Project Implementation Committee for consideration of appointment as a service operator based on APAD's approval and their experience in implementing POC at their respective company-levels.
"The DRT Pilot Project Implementation Committee agreed to appoint these two companies because of the approval given by APAD at that time. This is because this administration wants to meet the standards set by the authorities to ensure the safety of DRT service users is guaranteed," he said.
The letter of intent was then submitted to the service operator companies in June 15, 2023, while the appointment letter was issued on Sept 20, 2023.
His statement came following allegations of preferential treatment in the project's tender process, after it was revealed that Yeoh's husband Ramachandran Muniandy, was the chief executive officer for Asia Mobilities.
The matter was highlighted by X user @AduanRakyat, and along with other users who questioned if an open tender process was conducted in appointing companies for this project.