The government’s drive to move Malaysians onto the local navigation app TuJu has yet to win over motorists, with users reporting repeated system failures and missing basic functions. Downloads climbed past 800,000 after data security concerns over foreign apps such as Waze, according to the New Straits Times, yet the app has not met expectations on the road.
A check on the app found its location search returning a “No Results Found” message for prominent landmarks, including Pavilion Bukit Jalil and Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Club. Logging in proved just as awkward, with an “Invalid Email” warning appearing even when the details were correct. There is no password reset option, and no direct channel for a user to report a fault.
Live navigation struggled too. The system disconnected often, gave confusing directions and did not offer alternative routes around congestion, functions that rival apps have carried for years. A drive from Bangsar to Bukit Jalil ended with the navigation system not working at all.
Store reviews carried the same complaints. One user, posting as JuanLela 9497, said even registering was hard. “Even registering is difficult, let alone logging in. Please review this application. It has already been featured on TV3, but its quality is extremely disappointing,” the user said. Another, Fauzan Roslan, said basic searches failed. “Typing ‘CIMB Bank’ into the search bar does not return any results. If the application is not ready and lacks basic functions, it should not have been launched yet,” he said.
Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd, which built the app with the Malaysian Highway Authority, apologised on 23 Oct and said its technical team was restoring and improving navigation functions, with the work targeted for completion by 6 Nov. “Our priority is to ensure navigation functions return to stable and smooth operation and fulfil users’ travel needs,” the company said, FMT reported.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim apologised to users and asked for patience, saying national security outweighed the inconvenience of the Waze ban for civil servants. “If this ban has been bothersome, I apologise. But to me national security is more important,” he told reporters in Ampang, Malay Mail wrote. “I know the app may have weaknesses but you can always use other apps. Be patient.”
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil has asked the highway authority and Prosignal for a detailed explanation covering the root causes, the technical issues, current performance and the fixes planned. Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar will chair a meeting of several ministries’ secretaries-general to go through both explanations and the improvement plan, with targets and timelines.
TuJu was introduced in November 2025 as a highway navigation app offering traffic updates and emergency help, built by Prosignal under an arrangement with the highway authority. The government’s ban on Waze for civil servants on official duty took effect after a National Cyber Security Committee meeting chaired by Anwar on 20 Oct, citing concerns over the handling of user data.
Both the authority and the company say restoration and upgrading work is under way in stages. Users who run into problems can send feedback to [email protected].
