On July 1, 2021, KERB was announced as a winner of the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s City Architecture for Tomorrow Challenge (CATCH), along with US privacy-first computer vision solution, Numina. Each company won US$250,000 to help bring their mobility solutions to life in Kuala Lumpur.
The City Architecture for Tomorrow Challenge (CATCH) is organised by Toyota Mobility Foundation and co-developed by Deloitte Future of Mobility Solution Centre, to drive intelligent data-driven, connected solutions towards more efficient, innovative, secure and sustainable cities. KERB’s peer-to-peer parking software, through which private citizens and car park owners can rent and lease under-utilized parking spaces, will add parking options around Kuala Lumpur’s main transport hubs.
“Helping people move more freely in cities is one of the underlying principles of Toyota Mobility Foundation. But for most cities, inefficiencies caused by legacy infrastructure; the chronic congestion triggered by a relentless daily flow of new vehicles onto the streets, make that underlying principle difficult to achieve. Fresh and innovative solutions are required,” Rob Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of KERB.
Over a quarter of the world’s eight billion people are negatively impacted by urban congestion almost every day of the year. One of the key causes of congestion and impaired mobility in Kuala Lumpur is the huge imbalance between the limited supply of traditional parking infrastructure and the high demand for it. There are over one million vehicles in Kuala Lumpur. According to KERB’s analysis, there are only approximately 500,000 traditional parking spaces.
KERB believes there are another 690,000 parking spaces in Kuala Lumpur, which a marketplace like KERB can unlock.
“Every single vehicle driving the streets of Kuala Lumpur during the rush hours has freed up a parking space in another part of the city. Hundreds of thousands of parking spaces sit empty for much of the week – behind condos, beneath hotels, attached to sports venues and places of worship, and in schools and universities,” David Albaiceta, Regional Director South East Asia.
The KERB marketplace enables:
- A new way for residents to earn income from their assets.
- Car park operators to provide hands-free access and payment options in their car parks.
- Drivers to find, compare and book more convenient and affordable parking in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are currently encouraging all Malaysian’s with an empty parking space to download the KERB app and help reduce congestion in their city,” says Mr Albaiceta, “We see particular demand for parking in the business districts, around hospitals and transport hubs.”
Anyone interested in sharing their space simply needs to download the KERB app or visit the KERB website. Setup is simple and complete after adding your parking space address, selecting your space availability and uploading a photo.
Once a parking space appears on the KERB map, drivers in Kuala Lumpur can book and pay for your parking on the KERB app. Payment is taken in advance via a credit card or GrabPay.
KERB will be using the TMF CATCH prize money to expand its existing team and activities in Malaysia. KERB is currently available in some Sunway locations and will be starting a pilot with Prasarana at Gombak and Ampang Park ‘n Ride.
You can learn more about KERB at www.kerb.works, the App Store, Google Play, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Media Contact
David Albaiceta
Regional Director South East Asia
Email: david.albaiceta@kerb.works
Mobile: +60 12 4766990
About Toyota Mobility Foundation
Toyota Mobility Foundation is an organisation formed by Toyota in 2014 with the aim of creating a truly mobile society that will help people live better lives no matter where they are. The mission of the organisation is to enable more people to go more places by sharing knowledge, partnering with others and using their innovative spirit to build a more joyful mobile society.
About the CATCH Challenge
How might we harness the power of data and technology to reimagine urban infrastructure?
Cities of today will see more rapid changes in the next 10 years than the last 100. While population growth and urbanisation has created significant opportunities for social and economic development, it has also exerted significant pressure on infrastructure and resources.
The City Architecture for Tomorrow Challenge (CATCH) is organised by Toyota Mobility Foundation and co-developed by Deloitte Future of Mobility Solution Centre, to drive intelligent data-driven, connected solutions towards more efficient, innovative, secure and sustainable cities.
The challenge aims to inspire and invite global teams – entrepreneurs, start-ups, academic/research institutions, innovators etc. – to reimagine and design future city infrastructures through dynamic, intelligent, data-driven & connected solutions.
Problem Statement
Encourage freedom of mobility through the proficient usage of city infrastructure through a dynamic, intelligent, data-driven & connected solution toward sustainable development and a shared prosperity.
2021 Competition
- 90+ applicants from 20+ countries
- 16 semi-finalists
6 finalists
- GeoSpock – UK
- Hayden AI Technologies – USA
- Liftango – Australia
- RUNWITHIT Synthetics – Canada
2 winners
- Numina – USA
- KERB – Australia
You can read more about the finalists here.
