UTAR and the Petaling Jaya Parliamentary Office inked a memorandum of understanding on 5 June 2024, at the Petaling Jaya City Council, to work together on the First and Last Mile (FMLM) connectivity project, which aims to tackle issues impacting the daily lives of numerous people.

Signing the MoU were UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat and Member of Parliament Petaling Jaya Yang Berhormat Tuan Lee Chean Chung while witnessing the MoU were UTAR Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation Prof Ts Dr Faidz bin Abd Rahman and Deputy Mayor of Petaling Jaya City Council Tuan Aznan bin Haji Hassan.

Under the MoU, both UTAR and Petaling Jaya Parliamentary Office will work hand in hand to assess existing bus or train ridership, anticipate future demand for public transportation, develop innovative traffic management strategies, and implement sustainable solutions to optimise the efficiency and accessibility of public transportations in Petaling Jaya.

Tuan Lee shared, “To achieve a holistic public transport agenda, we all need to work together. The government, local authority, private sector, NGOs and the people should join hands to support the growth of the public transport ecosystem. Therefore, we are happy to collaborate with UTAR to solve the issue of 'first and last mile connectivity' to benefit all users including the elderly and the disabled.”

Prof Dato’ Ewe said, “Collaboration between universities and other stakeholders is crucial in addressing complex societal challenges. By joining forces, we can pool our expertise, resources, and networks to develop comprehensive solutions that benefit the communities. This partnership exemplifies the importance of such collaborations, showcasing how academia and government can work together to drive positive change.”

Tuan Aznan said, “The collaboration between UTAR and the Petaling Jaya Parliamentary Office is an important effort to ensure smooth traffic. I hope that efforts like this will be increased in Petaling Jaya to benefit the community and future generations.”

Also present at the signing ceremony were Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science Deputy Dean for Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes Assoc Prof Ir Dr V. Gobi, LKC FES academic Ir Prof Dr Khoo Hooi Ling @ Lai Hooi Ling, and representatives from MRT Corp Sdn Bhd, RapidKL, Petaling Jaya Parliamentary Office and UTAR.