Malaysian government is taking a gradual approach to autonomous driving by establishing the necessary regulatory and infrastructure foundations before any large-scale deployment of the technology takes place.

According to Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, the government does not intend to proceed hastily.

"We want to take it slow and steady to ensure that the safety aspect is not compromised. We must have regulations in place, on the regulatory side, focus areas include safety standards, legal liability, cyber security and data governance. In terms of infrastructure readiness, improvements are ongoing in road markings, signage, road safety standards and digital connectivity, or, as some people call it, road furniture," he told the media.

Nanta said that the directional transport system to be utilised by the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project is an example of the latter, with dedicated lanes and infrastructure for the autonomous rail transit (ART) trackless trams already under construction in the state capital.

Last month, Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Sim Tze Tzin stated that, although the country has not yet begun examining the subject in depth, the target is to establish Level 3 autonomous driving capability by 2030.

As defined by SAE International, autonomous driving is classified on a scale from Level 0, where the driver controls all vehicle functions, to Level 5, which represents full driverless capability under all conditions. Level 3 automation allows a vehicle to drive itself under specific conditions, but the driver must remain alert and be prepared to take control of the vehicle when required.

Programmes exploring the technology have been undertaken in the past, primarily from the perspective of pilot on-road evaluations.

In November 2020, the government designated its first autonomous vehicle test routes on public roads in Cyberjaya, with approval granted a month later, in December. eMoovit Technology became the first company to receive approval to use the routes for its autonomous vehicle test programme.