We’re sure that this is something close to many people’s hearts, but perhaps not in a good way. It includes this writer, who has made it a point to not use Touch n Go for parking if there’s a surcharge involved. Not because I can’t afford the 20 sen, but why should I pay extra?
It’s a valid grouse, and we reached out to Touch n Go (TnG) for an explanation. The payments company acknowledges that there are many parking operators charging an extra 10% on top of parking fees for TnG users, and that it’s a long-running issue and famous complaint among users. Another big one is the 50 sen reload fee charged by outlets, but that’s for another day.
Back to the parking surcharge. When paying via TnG, you’re not taking a parking ticket or token, or using the autopay machine or cashier, so by right, you should pay less and not more? Here’s what TnG has to say.
“The reality is, the surcharge goes into the operation and maintenance of the TnG infrastructure. Very little of these charges go back to TnG. The charges cater for the maintenance cost and system upgrades, which are important aspects in maintaining an efficient and hassle-free parking system to customers. It is an agreed charge between the parking operators, building owners and Touch n Go, and the proceeds are shared by these parties at the applicable parking locations,” the company explains.
Officially, TnG states that “the additional charges serve as service fee for the extra convenience offered and to cover the maintenance and operation costs of the system, on top of the conventional ticketing system service.”
It is also pointed out that TnG users get to benefit from the convenience of not having to take a ticket (I occasionally leave it in the car and curse when it’s time to pay) and queue to pay, and that parking surcharges also apply to credit card payment, which is growing in acceptance in urban areas.
However, here’s some good news. TnG says that it has been working to add more TnG-enabled parking sites without surcharge. It’s work in progress, but no surcharge cashless parking sites have grown significantly in numbers over the years. It says that two years ago, 40 such sites existed – today, there are over 200 parking lots with TnG payment and no surcharge. For these sites, the additional costs are wholly managed by TnG. Let’s hope that this trend continues and major sites adopt this model.
Lastly, a side note regarding TnG “profiting” from our card and eWallet balances held by them. The company explains that “all monies reloaded by the users into the Touch n Go cards are not deposited into the TNGSB account. Instead, they are deposited into a trustee account and are owned by the owner/users of these Touch n Go cards.
“All payments to service providers (toll, rail, parking operators and retail merchants) are made directly from the trustee to the said service providers. The Touch n Go card merely acts as an electronic purse to provide the convenience of speed and security when making everyday micro-payments,” TnG says, adding that the company is also bound by the Unclaimed Money Act 1965 (2006 amendment) whereby all unused prepaid balances due to inactivity of transaction for more than seven years are required to be returned to the Accountant General’s Department.
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The reason is very simple, because “This is Malaysia”…
(Short sighted and nothing is integrated, never learn from others and always syok sendiri)..
The reason is very simple, because “Malaysia pipu mudah lupa”… Lupa tiket parking, letak mana. deswai nasib baek gua pakai TnG….
TNG makes billions per year from just interest rates from the money collected in their card and now their TNG e-wallet.
Don’t forget also the hundreds of thousands of cards that buta buta get blacklisted out of nowhere. 90% of people just got no time to go to the TNG office to fix the problem out. We just throw away the cards
Parking in KL Sentral alone is RM5 per hour and to wait to sort your card out takes at least 2 hours. RM10 gone down the drain. So most people just throw the cards away.
Hidup TNG!!!
Earning interest? Dude did u even read the article? ♂️
TnG untung hundreds of million RM yearly should absorb this 20c surcharge. KPDNKK must stop this TnG over profiting at the expense of marhaen. Power to the ppl, not greedy koparat….
money is deposited to TNGSB (Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd) account.. and yes, the money is owned by card owner, but who takes the interest? did TNG pay u interest for extra money in your card?
Do you honestly think the business model of TnG, as big as they are, is to provide a digital wallet/payment service complete with infrastructure, for small returns only?
(Hint1: any bank would’ve salivate at that pile of cash. Hint2: some banks do grand promotions for customers to deposit more money – and I’m not talking about fixed deposit accounts)
If the parking surcharge is really for system maintenance, then what about the savings offset from *NOT* having to maintain paper ticketing system (which easily costs more due to consumables, security, cash management etc.). Why does it have to be percentage wise (at some places) anyway?
If maintenance is a legit cause, then tolled highways TnG lanes would’ve charged us too, wouldn’t they? Why is it then the highways are gladly moving towards digital payment only? Same trend for brick-and-mortar merchants.
Dude, should read the article and think.
TNG is another GLC trying to get a free ride from the public. Time to put a stop to this nonsense.
too many people read Utusan and they believe anything told to them. This is why when TNG say they don’t profit from this, they believe.
my friend, you should think after read. if you are not willing to think, then you should ask people who working at e-payment wallet or banks.
how the company treat these money.
Tng cannot give cheaper prices because they are not competitive. Mostly grads from UIA, Mara and UITM. They don’t know much about competition.
better we all use Grabpay , no surcharge…
Its time 2 liberate the industry.Stop monopoli
Agreed! Then we can have 10 parking cards and 10 toll cards just because we want to be ‘liberated’. Too bad the mindset then becomes unlibrated.
It is okay to have many systems. You are used to the monopoli system where everything is easy and goyang kaki for the owners but consumers suffer
Tolak TnG!
The truth is, TNG is a crony company and they thought they could get away with this robbery the past few years with the previous crony government to protect them
Now, they have to tukar story and tell us that slowly few places are changing to not include surcharge and because TNG love the rakyat so much
The truth is, if the previous crony Government was in power, they won’t even layan you when you ask why there is a 20% surcharge
Just like our boradband now. For 10 years we had to pay RM179 for super slow broadband at 30 MBPS. Now, for the same price we got upgraded to 300 Mbps for FREE. But TM said they did it because they love the rakyat.
Li Chunrong in 6 months identified the leakages in Proton, what local CEOs could not do in 20 years.
What we need in another Li Chunrong to run companies like TNG and other GLCs. You will see 100X fold in productivity and efficiency.
If local CEOs are incompetent, we need expat CEOs to do a better job
What leakages? Please explain
i guess roof leakage in old Wiras, he meant.
Li Chunrong can be the Mentor of specially chosen local CEOs. So the local CEOs, bcum smart and succes like esteemed Li Chunrong
This has nothing to do with Proton but thanks to your eager stupidity to whack Proton we just found another one of your dupe names.
It has everything to do with Proton because TNG is a crony company that is protected like Proton. This is why we need to do away with protectionism.
Don’t over simplified and forget the root. Proton had been a very successful company for many years. They’re so cash rich that they are able to built those mega manufacturing plant in Tanjung Malim. Only during the last few years (before Geely came into the picture) the company got into problem.
Yes, Chunrong did a good job in putting Proton back onto the right track.
Broadband speed appears to be your most prized achievement, your selective song singing is mindbbaffling.
FYI the operators are operating at a lost, to implement lost making business is a no brainer, to make it work and profitableiis clearly beyond you.
The government now is deploying infrastructure for high speed in kampungs,i can foresee you will sing the same tunes soon, even though no one in kampung willppay 150 for broadband, and we effectively waste 21bil.
Was Proton really successful in the past? Or it is simply benefited from the government market protection in order to became jaguh kampung. If Proton really was successful, it should have ruled the world market, instead of still selling 98% of their cars in Malaysia alone. As a point of reference, Hyundai and Kia were starting building it’s own car a few years earlier than Proton. There are big global players now.
Even with Li Chun Rong as CEO and had turned around Proton, I am still a bit skeptical whether he had really turned around the company. Judging from Proton’s recent revival, it’s safe to say that it’s due to one single new launch – X70. There’s nothing Malaysian need to be proud about because it’s merely a re-badged PRC car. And the next new car (X50) in the pipeline is yet another re-badged car. Geely bought over Proton is not to revive the company, but use it to open a new market for Geely.
Let’s not forget, X70 is still a CBU car!!
After all, there’s no difference between Proton and Perodua, both are just the “national car companies” selling rebadged Geely and Daihatsu.
Complacent and short of biz vision..biasa la
we cannot have leaders from China like Li Chun Rong running all GLC. There will be street protest saying DAP is taking over malaysia.
now that the new and powerful government in power, they can change, right? just like they did for the toll…eh wait, toll has been abolished or not? Sorry i just came back from oversea…dont know much update…
Pakatan is now uturn gomen. Whole of Mesia facepalmed themselves each time they uturn.
Give them 60 year to run. They will be OK
What?! Give 60 months already their idiocy is killing the country and economy. Give them 60 years and we wont have a country to call our own!
nothing changes because it is still the same lazy type of people running the cabinet and government.
Majority just want an easy life and do not want to work. So how to change?
News update: the new and powerful government, first thing to change. Clamp down corruptions and embezzlements. its splashed in all news headlines, seluruh pelusuk kampung. syukur malaysiaku aman…
First touch n go ebolished the 10% surcharge instead charge 20 cent per transaction. The touch n go equipment already paid by parking operator. And u are taking 10% of revenue of the parking operator, who need to pay parking rental, electricity, staff, maintenance, security. Imagine revenue rm100k per month operation cost plus rental rm 60k, profit rm30k, touch n go take rm10k. It seems touch n go just plain greed.
sapot bro. Touch n go should pay us 10% interest instead, for any balance kredit in the card. And how about lost card and ewallet with kredit inside? touch n go owned by cimb, a glc shouldnt be so plain greed.
Go and see the counters at the TNG office. You can see how lazy they are. These are the people living on our extra money.
Favourite quote by petrol station cashier when I want to top up TnG card is “System Offline”.
Maintenance my arse.
You wanna know what’s the reason behind “system offline”? That particular shop dont have enough fund to reload tng card. All i know is every shop must reload their terminal first before they can reload customer card….shop owner no money = cannot reload terminal = cannot reload tng card…system offline is just an excuse…
Not telling us the whole story. Who owns this trustee account that will collect the interest from hundreds of million RM? Someone will benefit for sure. Do you expect us to believe there is no interest earned from the deposits?
Why can all other cards like octopus, nets, rabbit cards not impose that kind of service charge?
TnG, please don’t pull wool over our eyes or think we are stupid enough to believe your canned reply.
Boikot TnG Cimb at all cost.
I’m a graphic designer working for a few malls i wont speak of, TNG’s idea of removing surcharge is basically charging supermarket outlets that uses their services.
Supermarkets have agreed to give them a small percentage of total revenue they earn.
So while it says “No surcharge on the board”. Who’s to stop malls from jacking up their hourly parking fees? Absolutely no one.
fake news. my colleague used to work in TnG, even negotiating with building owners to install TnG in their premise. Reason is that TnG refuse to charge less to building owners when offering the service. Some early adopters did managed to squeeze TnG such as The Mines (no additional charge for both TnG and manual ticketing, even now) when they first introduced the system back in the late 90s. But since TnG monopolize cashless parking ticket, with the takeover by CIMB (yep, CIMB owned them, and their cash cow now) they’ve become greedy and didnt want negotiate fees with building owners. The ‘take it or leave it’ attitude means they can charge as they like it, and its much higher than standard parking operators. This is why some malls have different TnG charge such as by percentage while others on fixed rate, say 20 sen per ticket, since owners didn’t want to absorb the higher collection fees, and instead had no choice but to channel the extra fees back to customers. And this the reason why some buildings still stick to Wilson parking, Metro Parking, etc. all this while, thus keeping the parking rate low and its a win-win situation to owner and customers. This is also the reason why chain malls like Aeon, Tesco still refuse to adopt TnG system and did their own collection instead.
So Danny, in the spirit of fairness, how about another article but this time from TnG alternative instead?
Agree. How about PT journalist interview and get the story from building owners? This article is a one-sided view of the issue and very easy for TNG to deny and push aside all of the consumer complaints.
Not so long ago, retailers charged a service fee for credit card payments. I refused to pay those charges and pay using cash. I also adopt the same principle at car parks – I won’t use TnG if there is a surcharge.
Fortunately, I am beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. New parking facilities that only accept TnG as the payment platform do not surcharge. I don’t have a problem with using TnG at those car parks.
Bottom line – parking operators that surcharge will see fewer people using TnG for their parking payments.
For 20 years there is no improvement from TnG. Always cheating money from people.
1. Card expires and need to go to KL Sentral to transfer to new card.
2. Charges surcharge of 10% on parking
3. Difficult to reload
4. Reload needs 50 sen surcharge
5. Giving dumb excuses for the above.
6. Any others I missed? I am sure many more complaints from the public.
Then only reason they are still in business is due to toll only. Parking is due to paksarela and not sukarela.
TnG is feeling threatened nowadays and only starting to try and improve is due to:
1. Many e-wallets in the market,
2. Parking operators starting to use Visa
3. PLUS using their own RFID tagged to credit cards.
Honestly, screw you TnG. Hope you go bankrupt.
But RFID uses TNG ewallet, still the money top up to TNG. Why they need to feel threatened?
The PR Government should try to take over the company instead of just buy over a few highways that only benefit the central.
He’s actually referring to PLUS’ own (point no.3), not TnG e-wallet. The RFID system is capable to support other payment system as well. I think I saw this article in this site a few months ago.
PLUS system: Tied to credit card, no top-up needed. In other words, pay as you use only.
TnG system: Advance top up needed. Definitely not pay as you use. Card balance is never returned in full, pay RM10 for card, pay surcharge everywhere. Monopoly business. Oppose PLUS when they tried to offer consumers better alternative.
TnG can say anything they like, I’m not going to believe into their story and continue take the parking ticket.
Lame excuse… They earning so many money from ppl storing cash in advance into their card yet they choose to put this charges on their customers are just a shit excuse to milk us more.
The truth is…if it’s not a monopoly many people will not even use TnG.
Hard truth but most of these whiners don’t see this. Remove these conveniences and force them to go back using cash and we’ll see another round of complaints.
If you’re really not getting any interest. Why not start getting some and demolish the surcharge.
Even this “article” seems like a paid article. Its just an easy way to stop us from asking the questions regarding these surcharge rates imposed on us. The way it is written and the conclusion seemed planned. Sure, the money goes to a trustee account but is that it?
Danny is better than a few other writers, so I take his articles more seriously.
Well its not about the writers, the writers are great! But this article is like a statement written on behalf of Touch&Go.
I totally agree with you it’s a paid article. Since when this column speaks for the rakyat.
10% surcharge is still very high compared to credit card commission.
Put it simple terms of hardware. Cash via ticket is higher maintenance for parking operators, as operator need to take out cash, more consumables paper ticket and receipts, more autopay machines at multiple locations. Maintenance is not a valid reason for tng users to charge higher.
So why tng has a surcharge is just down to greed and easy money from one party, either parking operators or most likely we all already know tng.
bullshit. SG has higher maintenance cost and yet not such surcharge.
It’s pure corporate greed and they used to monopolise contactless payment.
for the longest time , TnG has been complacent till all those ewallet players come…. then they start to move their arse
The normal ticketing system itself already consists of maintenance cost of the service. If TnG users need to pay extra, wouldn’t that mean TnG users are paying maintenance fees for both systems when they are only using one?
I don’t believe in those bullshit. Parking operators can save on installing payment machines and salaries of staff. They are merely profiting out of the naivety of the people. By the way, prove to us that T&G is not using the idle balance to support their cashflow requirements! Otherwise, what is the benefit to T&G for setting up this business. T&G is not a charity or welfare organization!!!
Nice try T&G. But this PR piece just doesn’t cut it.
We’re no longer the dumb public who buta2 swallow the bullshit given by those in power.
You’re nothing but a crony monopoly. Without your monopoly protection, you’ll not survive. Consumer will choose the better option.
why the heck are consumers bearing the cost of TNG maintenance??? Cant run a company profitably?
imagine some mall where TNG is compulsory ie no ticket anymore (am sure u guys know some mall already implement this)….do we even have a choice? where is the ‘convenience’? cant even pay parking with cash but to use either TNG or ur credit/debit card
Its true that TnG charges sky high for the equipment to be installed at site. Its not true that the monies do not generate some kind of return for CIMB. Even in Trustee account, the account generates interest. But the interest money does not return to users. Hong Kong Octopus card is the same. They are so large until they become the psuedo central bank accounting for almost HKD$500 million daily. Pray tell what happens to the interest money paid by bank to the trustee account? Who is the beneficial owner of the trustee account? If Singapore and Hong Kong can roll out a system which there’s no surcharge, and literally free to install (paid by their respective cashless payment operator), why not Malaysia. I doubt what TnG said was the whole truth.
Did you guys know that there are countries where cashless payments are actually cheaper than the token/ticket? Did you guys know that their infrastructure doesn’t require maintenance at all? In fact their systems work with magic and fairy dust. Because of this, they are able to provide cheaper cashless options. Unfortunately, Malaysia’s magic is channeled into something else and the people of the country are not of that importance. So we are convinced that the organizations suffer a lot and we have to choke up the costs as long as they always profit. Hey, that rings a bell of so many things now!
Just use SG as an example, every parking using the same Flashcard n go cashless, i wonder why Malaysia parking still struggle to follow this way? At least, those parking inside shopping malls/office block must have the cashless parking facilities,those parking on vacant land beside the road is different story, maybe it is burden for them to buy the digital system, it is something common as nowadays everyone will have TouchnGo card, even rapidKL buses go cashless now, all must have TouchnGo card to board the bus.
Never heard PayWave machines require us to pay more so the payment system is sustainable
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is still ridiculous. I won’t use TnG if there’s a surcharge, period. Not that I can’t afford it, but it’s ridiculous.
Poor excuse to impose surcharge on top parking charge.
Laughable excuse!!!
TnG service is not new and have been around for decades. it took them so long to start making itself useful beyond just highway. that should give you an idea of why this kind of excuse still exists.
– just imagine I geleng kepala as u read this –
We need to educate people NOT to use TnG in carparks that have surcharge, infact to be safe, don’t use tng in carparks at all!!!. enough of this GREED.
the answer is very simple.
TnG boss wants untung manyak-manyak more that previous year.
Boss wants big fat salary, wants rich family stay in big luxurious bungalow, boss wanna drive new SUV car every year, wifey wants to drive new luxury MPV, son and daughter want to drive spanking sports cars, study in top uni at overseas, family wants to go Europe for holidays multiple-times, Wanna sit only in 1st class, wanna enjoy life, etc. So, money never enuf lor.
So, TnG company give “excuse” to collect surcharge from poor rakyat. Squeeze more blood from mudah -lupa, easy forgiving Malaysian ….so the boss can enjoy honey.
Does a transaction of RM5 cost more to process than a RM1 transaction?. Surcharge is ok but make it fixed. Maybe RM0.10 per tansaction.
Drivers tambah nilai in purtrajaya had to park their car right at the toll booth, leave it there n walk to the next 2 booths to ‘mengadap’ the jurutol so they can reload their tng card. Thats 10% surcharge for u.
I refuse to use touch n go for parking or any other payment. We are already being forced by the govt to use it at tolls as it is.
What I want to know is why toll charges can be deducted from TnG e-wallet directly and not parking? Isn’t it time they upgrade? It’s a pain when malls and buildings refused to allow cards with a low balance into the car park.
The same for transport! It’s absolutely ridiculous when Prasarana decided to switch from Putra card to Touch n Go and started charging us 0.50 for each reload. Certainly Prasarana can afford to pay for the system since it’s been replaced. In a way, Prasarana is now gaining from it.
PaulTan, please highlight the issue of PLUS highway had stop the TnG reload toll booth. Worst still when the reload kiosk offline / downtime at RNR. PLUS should facilitate the highway users. Not create hassle for motorists to find the means to reload by stopping by RNR or petrol kiosk. The TNG e-wallet also yet to cover other state toll exit such as Ipoh, Taiping… slow in implement the infrastructure
A non mechanical machine requires extensive maintenence?
Even an AutoPay machine have more cogs and gears and they rarely gets maintained except when the ticket rolls ran out.
Time is money, but when it costs bloody tears, I’d rather spend the extra minute queing up to pay the tickets than being charged extra.
Sorry paultan.org. Shortsighted article. E.g convenience to users yes, what about coveneince to TnG??? No need to count money, less persons required to handle TnG facilities! Come on just look south, EZ link card or NETS card can be used virtually anywhere including fast food chains, Fair price supermarket, bus, mrt, taxi and many others. And no interest or service charge. Heck, the bus & train fare rides are almost less 50% against cash payment! Now that’s the real deal……….When will Malaysia come of age? When?
TnG could do a campaign to put an eye catching illustration on the TnG reader where there is no surcharge involved. I wish to use TnG but that surcharge is really potong stim.
Why dont the carpark operator deduct the parking fee as well on the reduction in cost from reduced maintenance of cash machines and manpower.
This article appears to suggest TnG users have to pay your own machinese just to use your card. TnG and the government should work together to make it mandatory for all carparks to be TnG compliant.
Surcharge for maintenance and operations of the system? What bulls**t is this? The paper ticket also got systems and machines to maintain but that’s already included in the parking rate without any surcharge? Come on Malaysians are not that gullible, duhh.
TnG suppose to be for convenience but pure nonsensical we need to pay this extra charges for so long. What we need is more competitors to this monopolistic company.
That is possibly the worst excuse I’ve ever heard. Upkeeping of the tng infra? What the f is the parking fees for then? Is it to upkeep everything in the parking. Tomorrow the boss of the parking marries a new wife should I pay an extra surcharge for her upkeeping then?
That is possibly the worst excuse I’ve ever heard. Upkeeping of the tng infra? What the f is the parking fees for then? Is it to upkeep everything in the parking. Tomorrow the boss of the parking marries a new wife should I pay an extra surcharge for her upkeeping then?
haha….
if given a choice, i will not use my tng for any parking that requires surcharge.
but many parking places use tng ONLY and with no choice, have to pay with it, at same time, paying extra for the surcharge.
seriously WTF…
As a matter of principle, I do not reload my TNG card if I need to pay the 50 cents and I do not use my TNG card to pay parking due to the surcharge. I do not see the benefit of paying EARLIER to reload the card, and then paying MORE when I use it. It is flawed. In HK and Singapore, when you use the cashless card, you end up paying LESS.
If you realize, some of the shopping complex have less parking machine and force the patron to walk further to pay the car park charges. In another word, because of convenient, people will more likely to use touch and go and does no mind to pay the extra charges. At the end, who win?
I’m driving a felali and I’m not paying a single cent to you TnG for this. Boo to you for taking ppl money just because you can do so!
The answer is very simple. Lack of competition. Boost should start working with car park operators to give T&G a run for their money.
same practice with some retails, small 2 retails, car accessories especially ,instead of cash if you want to use credit card/debit card, additional charges need to be paid by customer.max 10%..watdeheyyllll….it’s better not to offer the service
Many private car parks are going cashless. The alternative is T&G or credit cards.
This is the business model here & anywhere else in the world. If you are interested, apply to BNM to start your own ewallet that is charitable to the consumers
Look people. This article is not meant to defend T&G the company. What Danny is saying is the official explanation & statement coming from T&G. He’s asking you, the readers, to read and evaluate using your own judgment whether T&G is bullshitting us. C’mon people, I think paultan.org readers are more mature than this…
I can not accept the explanation. This practice is similar to AirAsia charging for on-line payment that AirAsia fined by MAVCOM. The surcharges are to compensate the transaction charges incurred by the merchants.
Fine, take the surcharge. Might as well fix the e-wallet too while you are at it and remove the minimum amount in card.
That being said, people without enough balance can topup online when they are parked, while having a convenient time in the mall itself.
That alone is enough situation for a person like me to justify the Rm 0.20 i just spent for the surcharge.
When a company is trying very hard to convince you that a digital system cost more to maintain than a manual cash-handling system, you know that something is wrong.
Cash-intensive business is considered a high risk entity by Bank Negara for money laundering and corruption.
I did not say they are related.