Take note, drivers! The government has announced that starting from August 14, all toll plazas nationwide will only accept cashless payments. Yes, that means you need to get a PLUSMiles, Touch ‘n Go or SmartTAG for your toll payments!
Malaysia Highway Authority (MHA) chairman Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said that this move would be implemented once the 19 tolls on the East Coast Highway had finished upgrading their systems to include electronic toll collection (ETC).
Currently, only 158 out of the 177 tolls accept cashless payments but they wanted to make this move because ETC saves more than half the time needed for toll payments with cash. According to the Star, paying with cash takes about 15 seconds but Touch ‘n Go takes six seconds and SmartTAG only three seconds. Hopefully this will reduce traffic jams!
He also said, “By using ETC, there is a decrease of between 15% and 20% in traffic congestion, and this reduces stress and anger of motorists on the road.”
Those using the East Coast Highway can expect the tolls from Karak to Kuala Terengganu to accept cashless payments starting from 12.00pm on August 14. Don’t worry if you are travelling on that day and do not have a way to pay the tolls because there will toll lanes available where you can purchase or top up your Touch ‘n Go cards.
If not, you can also do so at customer service centres located at Karak, Temerloh and Kuantan toll plazas which will be opened from 7.00am to 10.00pm.
Remember people, be prepared to start using cashless payment methods for tolls starting from August 14!
Also read: Malaysian Guy Almost Got Cheated Out of RM100 when Reloading Touch ‘n Go Card