JOHOR BARU, Feb 13 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said today that the Private Public Partnership Unit (UKAS) will invite proposals for a supplementary transit system to disperse traffic from the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) that is set to come online by the end of 2026.

He said the ministry submitted a presentation for an autonomous transit system (ART) to the Cabinet in December, which decided that the project should be in the form of a private-public partnership.

“The request for proposal (RFP) for the elevated ART will be called soon and the project also aligns with the Johor government’s proposal.

“An elevated ART is more flexible as the lanes could be utilised by both rail and bus,” he told reporters at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel here today.

Earlier, the minister witnessed the signing of a master agreement between MRT Corporation (MRT Corp) and Sunway Group to jointly develop an integrated mixed-use development adjacent to the Bukit Chagar RTS Link Station.

He said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously made a proposal for the ART, but added that this was not confirmation of the selection yet.

“[The] final decision will be announced soon,” he said, explaining that this hinged on completion of the RFP exercise.

In April last year, Onn Hafiz proposed an elevated ART, adding that it had received the consent of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, and Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

The elevated ART is a relatively new system employing a rubber-wheeled transit system that operates autonomously. In essence, ART is a bus with a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system that allows the vehicle to read markings on the roadway.

Meanwhile, the integrated development, jointly developed by MRT Corporation and Sunway Group, would be located adjacent to the upcoming Bukit Chagar RTS Link station and the newly built customs, immigration, and quarantine (CIQ) complex.

The RTS Link is slated for completion on December 31, 2026.