Group photograph of the TAR UMT team behind the development of the Bantu app who attended the soft launch ceremony. They are (from right) the lecturers from FOCS, Mr Peh and Ts Lim, and three of the students (from left) Adriel Tang Thien Ern, Lim Jing Ming, and Dhivyaesh Sivaraja.
On 10 September 2026, TAR UMT unveiled the Bantu Pandu (Bantu) app, a result of a successful industry-academia collaboration with industry partner Bantu2U Holdings Sdn Bhd (Bantu2U).
The soft launch ceremony was held at TAR UMT's Kuala Lumpur campus, where attending guests were the first people to check out and download the Bantu app, a one-stop automobile assistance platform that provides its users with intuitive and comprehensive support such as emergency and roadside assistance, repair and maintenance assistance, progress tracking, and many other automobile-related services.
On top of creating a more pleasant and stress-free experience for users who require roadside assistance, the Bantu app also leverages artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create intuitive search and chatbot features that can contribute to road safety awareness and preparedness by providing important information such as on-the-road advice, safe driving tips, and emergency contact numbers with just a simple search on the app.
This app is the outcome of the industry-academic collaboration initiative between TAR UMT and Bantu2U that began as early as January 2025 and solidified following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in June 2025. At that time, a team of nine students was formed and led by Ts Lim Mei Shyan, Principal Lecturer, and Mr Peh Guan Soon, Programme Leader, both from the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (FOCS), to work closely with Bantu2U and take the idea and turn it into a working concept that is now available in the market.
Prof Dr Loke (ninth from left) and Mr Anthony (eighth from right) taking a group photograph with the team that built the Bantu app from scratch, consisting of TAR UMT lecturers, students, and staff from Bantu2U, during the soft launch ceremony.
"Today's soft launch is a celebration of success that happens when industry experience, university knowledge, and student talent come together for a common purpose. Much of the app's development was carried out by our students, guided by our lecturers from FOCS, and supported by the Bantu2U Holdings team. This is a testament to the strength and talent of our students who not only learn what is taught in books and develop projects in class, but also take opportunities to understand industry needs, solve real problems and see their work being applied in the real world. This is the Beyond Education that TAR UMT champions.
"We hope that today's success will be the beginning of many more collaboration opportunities between TAR UMT and Bantu2U," said Prof Dr Loke Chui Fung, Vice President of TAR UMT, in her speech.
Mr Anthony Chin, Managing Director of Bantu2U Holdings Sdn Bhd, expressed his appreciation to TAR UMT for being part of Bantu app's journey from the early stages of the software development phase.
"We thank TAR UMT for their trust and support in our development of the Bantu app right from the beginning. I want to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the team of students and lecturers who helped us turn our vision of using technology to make a safer, simpler, and connected driving experience for all road users into a reality through the successful launch of the Bantu app," said Anthony.
The Bantu app is now available for download on the App Store and Google Play Store.
