Works minister: LDP, MEX, Sprint, Kesas, SMART to use debit and credit cards for toll fees
KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — Motorists will soon be able to pay their toll fares using credit and debit cards on five additional highways in the Klang Valley.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi announced today the operators of these five highways have agreed to join in the open payment system that will be available from mid-September.
“These highways are the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), the SPRINT highway, the Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas), the SMART tunnel and the Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya Expressway (MEX).
“This makes the total number of highways which would be involved in the implementation of this open payment system to be 11,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
Motorists will soon be able to pay their toll fares using credit and debit cards on five additional highways in the Klang Valley. — Picture via Facebook/Alexander Nanta Linggi
Four of the other highways that will be using the open payment system are also located in the Klang Valley. They are: the Sungai Besi Expressway, the New Pantai Expressway, the Ampang–Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh), and the Guthrie Corridor Expressway.
The remaining two participating highways are located in the north of the peninsula: the Penang Bridge connecting the Penang mainland to its island half, and the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE). Both are operated by Plus Malaysia Bhd.
Last Tuesday, Nanta also said that an open payment system would mean there would no longer be a monopoly by Touch 'n Go (TnG) and that other e-Wallet providers would also be able to participate, adding that this would enable a healthy competition between industry players while also providing convenience to highway users.
Today, Nanta said the open payment system would allow highway users to choose the way they want to pay toll, and is also a step to prepare for transition to the Multi Lane Fast Flow (MLFF) system at highways. The MLFF is expected to provide a barrier-less experience.
He said the implementation of the open payment system is also part of the Works Ministry and relevant parties' preliminary efforts to resolve any issues that may arise before the full implementation of the MLFF in the future.
He also announced that the Sungai Besi Expressway has been selected as the first location for Proof of Concept (POC) for the MLFF, with this POC to be carried out in late October this year to assess the MLFF system before it is implemented for all highways in Malaysia.
He said the ministry is in talks with other highway concessionaires to have the POC for the MLFF at a second highway, and said he would announce the decision on the second POC location soon.
He said both the open payment system and the MLFF cannot be implemented overnight and will have to go through several stages, and requires careful planning and the use of suitable technology and talks with all parties before it can be implemented fully.
“With that, I wish to seek the cooperation of all to be patient and give some time to the team at this ministry which is committed to implementing this open payment system together with ensuring this MLFF transition can be carried out in phases latest by the third quarter 2024,” he said.
