Malaysians May Soon Only Need To Pay For Tolls During These 6 Hours A Day
Toll charges will also be free for those travelling between 11pm and 5am.
By Tamara Jayne — 25 Feb 2019, 12:08 PM
Malaysians, you're going to love this.
The government has taken its first steps to abolish tolls and help reduce the high costs of living.
An official press statement by the Prime Minister's Office on 23 February revealed that talks have been initiated with major stakeholder Gamuda Berhad to negotiate the acquisition of highway concession.
Should the acquisition be successful, the government will abolish the current toll system.
The highways that will be affected are: Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (SPRINT), Lebuhraya Shah Alam (KESAS), and SMART Tunnel
In the new system, there will be three periods: off-peak, peak, and normal hours.
A "congestion charge" will be implemented where commuters only need to pay for tolls during the six hours of "peak period" a day.
The revenue collected from the congestion charge will be used for highway maintenance and operations, and repayment of debts. Additionally, any surplus collected will be used to improve the public transport system.
During the "off-peak" period from 11pm to 5am, commuters will be able to travel for free on highways
In addition, toll charges will be discounted up to 30% at other "normal" hours.
According to the statement, further details will be announced by the Finance Minister at the appropriate time.
