No plans to abolish highway tolls – Works minister

No plans to abolish highway tolls – Works minister

Malaysia will not abolish highway tolls in the future, said works minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof in response to a question by Sabak Bernam MP Datuk Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh.

This is because the government could not afford to do so, as it would need to pay an excessive amount to highway concessionaires in order to for them to do away with toll fare collection, The Edge Markets reported. “We are currently negotiating to find a win-win solution that will not burden the people and the government in terms of our financial position,” the works minister said.

Where electronic toll collection methods are concerned, the RFID method has been a hot topic among Malaysian highway users, as the initial RFID rollout along the North-South Expressway from Juru to Skudai on January 15 has been troubled by congestion.

No plans to abolish highway tolls – Works minister

The price of the RFID self-fitment kit, which retails at RM35 per piece, has also been a sticky subject; the works minister said that the government has asked that Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd review the costs of the RFID stickers for the purposed of reducing the price, following a Facebook post by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak saying that the passive tags cost less than RM1 to produce.

In January, the government demanded a detailed report from PLUS as well as Touch ‘n Go for justification. Yesterday, the government has urged Touch ‘n Go to reduce the price of the RFID self-fitment kit.

On the subject of cost, the ERP system used in Singapore is commonly cited as a comparison; the works minister said that the government decided against using such a system as it would be prohibitively expensive for Malaysian consumers.

A key difference between the ERP setup in Singapore and the system in Malaysia, both using RFID technology, is that the Singapore setup uses an active transponder, the in-vehicle unit (IU). This is powered by the car’s electrical supply for better detection, though it costs S$155.80 (RM480) each, compared to the RM35 for each RFID self-fitment kit in Malaysia.

Works minister Fadillah reiterated that radio frequency identification (RFID) toll collection is superior to the infrared technology used by SmartTAG, and is in line with the government’s aim of introducing the MLFF (multi-lane free flow) system that is expected to be fully implemented by 2025.

The proof-of-concept will be run on the Besraya Highway early this year, and the trial operation will be installed at KM5.5 northbound on the highway.

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Mick Chan

Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.

 

Comments

  • I know, you don’t need to tell!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • Make Malaysia Great Again on Mar 04, 2022 at 4:18 pm

      Need to remind otherwise certain irresponsible party will entice us with promises to abolish tolls again if they became Gahmen. Malaysians mudah lupa so must constantly remind not to repeat that fatal mistake.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 1
  • sohai on Mar 03, 2022 at 2:09 pm

    Both Smart Tag and lowest tech passive Rfid have same bottleneck 30kmh pay toll, result in ZERO improvement with this recent RFID implementation, now even worst more jam with rfid, with evidence of rfid fail to detect, ewallet insufficient money, etc etc issues… so do Work Minister approved and implement project that zero improvement?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • sohai on Mar 03, 2022 at 2:17 pm

    All NEW car compulsary to preinstalled active RFID. Why dont goverment pay the cost of rm480 seem the car already tax in 5 figures as this rfid only 3 figures.

    Ckd tax= 10%
    Cbu tax = 30%
    Excice duty = 65% – 105%
    Sales tax = 6%

    Pls utilise the collected tax/excise duty from this cost center pool to perform free upgrade for all cars.

    Why marii keep quite? Wherevthe solution?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Datin on Mar 03, 2022 at 2:25 pm

    Ah, the infamous toll abolishing discussion. Middle ground, folks. Road maintenance costs a ton and the government alone is reputable at improper management of things. Tolls are here to stay, the government just needs to manage the greed of these highway concessionaires.

    As for whatever RDIF or IR tech to implement, don’t you think the current device is too flimsy and unreliable? Increase the size of the device, which increases reliability, while retaining the same RFID tech you’ve raved so much about. Look up what the US is doing with their E-ZPass.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Manifesto Dicapati on Mar 03, 2022 at 4:15 pm

    But what about janji PH…. oh wait..

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 66 Thumb down 1
  • History Bender on Mar 03, 2022 at 5:15 pm

    (Flashback 2018) I bet you PH will dispute that statement and that they have a way (which they won’t reveal) to abolish tolls if they come to power…

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 68 Thumb down 2
    • Shamshir Hassan on Mar 05, 2022 at 11:53 pm

      You live up to your username of choice lol

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Copy Paste on Mar 07, 2022 at 8:09 am

        Copy paste: “Need to remind otherwise certain irresponsible party will entice us with promises to abolish tolls again if they became Gahmen. Malaysians mudah lupa so must constantly remind not to repeat that fatal mistake.”

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • smart on Mar 03, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    The toll money you pay is used to pay you back EPF money when you are old. No more toll? How about no more EPF money for you when you are old? Get this: The highway was built with the rakyat’s future money.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
 

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