The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) has announced the winners of its 3-year data-driven innovation challenge, the City Architecture for Tomorrow Challenge (CATCH), aimed at improving mobility in Kuala Lumpur. The challenge was co-organized by Deloitte Future of Mobility Solution Centre (Deloitte) and delivered in partnership with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
After receiving over 97 applications from 20 countries globally, two winners were selected for their innovative solutions: Numina from the United States and Kerb from Australia.
Numina provides privacy-first sensor technology that analyzes the movement of people and goods to generate recommendations to improve city design and transportation infrastructure. The solution was deployed across nine major locations in Kuala Lumpur and provided insights that highlighted potential conflict points between pedestrians, 2-wheel, and 4-wheel vehicles along Jalan Chow Kit. Additionally, Numina’s solution suggested optimizing traffic light signals on Bukit Bintang Crossing to improve traffic flow and reducing passenger dwell time during peak hours.
Kerb’s solution allows users to view and book available public and private parking spaces from its mobile application, increasing the efficiency of mobility. Kerb’s solution was implemented across six car parks in Kuala Lumpur, and it increased the total bookings of private car parks by 2,000 bookings, with the majority being users who take their vehicles from their homes and proceed to utilize public transportation after parking.
The winners successfully conducted a proof-of-concept trial in Kuala Lumpur, collaborating with traffic and data experts from DBKL. Following the trial, both winners intend to expand their services to other key cities in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.
The CATCH Challenge aims to enhance the lives of Kuala Lumpur residents and further TMF’s vision of providing Freedom of Mobility for All. The project shows the immense potential of technology to solve social issues, and TMF intends to continue developing solutions that identify and eliminate barriers which prevent people and goods from moving freely.
