Loke said amendments to the Act were “definitely” needed, as the country did not have specific laws for self-driving vehicles.

“Malaysia could look at the laws on autonomous vehicles in other countries as an example,” he told reporters after watching a demonstration of an autonomous bus here today.

Also present was digital minister Gobind Singh Deo.

Loke said no timeframe has been fixed for the amendments to be made.

He also said a proof of concept (POC) is currently taking place for the autonomous bus, while the ministry has a committee looking specifically into autonomous vehicles.

“Those who are carrying out the POC can give their views on what amendments are needed,” he said.

Gobind noted that the UK introduced the Automated Vehicles Act, that could see self-driving vehicles on its roads by 2026, in May,

He also said autonomous public transportation trials are being carried out in many cities across the globe, including Shanghai in China and Hamburg in Germany.

“Now, we’re seeing the same technology being developed in Malaysia by a Malaysian company. Each autonomous vehicle’s system is customised to the road and traffic conditions, passenger demands and local conditions,” he said.