Technically, Malaysian roads are already cashless thanks to Touch ‘n Go – but drivers that opt to top up their cards at the boom gates make the whole affair only partly cashless.
To remedy this, PLUS Malaysia won’t be offering reload services at toll gates anymore – encouraging folks to get their top ups done beforehand. According to Managing Director of PLUS Malaysia Datuk Azman Ismail, this is to reduce congestion on the roads. He also mentioned that effects of the move have been reflected in a drop in the number of motorists with insufficient funds across several PLUS toll plaza regions.
The toll concessionaire also aims to implement RFID payment systems in its plazas from January 2020 onwards – with this, fees are deducted from the driver’s TnG e-wallets and doesn’t require the Touch ‘n Go card. The catch is that this will be implemented at open toll systems first; meanwhile, closed toll systems will be fitted with RFID systems by April 2020.
There’s also PayDirect, a service offered by Touch ‘n Go that allows you to pay with your e-wallets when you tap your card. The feature is now available at highways such as the LDP, KESAS, SMART Tunnel, SPRINT, and more. Find out how PayDirect works here:
Changes aren’t just happening on highways – Touch ‘n Go has mentioned that they will soon end the 10% surcharge at all parking facilities soon. Touch ‘n Go work with third party parking vendors on a contractual basis to offer this cashless parking option. Money collected from imposing the surcharge goes into funding the operation costs of the Touch ‘n Go facilities in these parking lots.
Image credit: Rojak Daily
That being said, Touch n’ Go plans to remove the surcharge clause in their upcoming contracts be it new or renewals. This should encourage more users to opt for cashless options when paying for their parking fares.
So, we say “yes”, yes that Malaysia is ready to go cashless on the road. All it takes is due diligence from users to have their cards topped up with cash – reload facilities are a plenty, like convenience stores. If you’re not keen on paying the RM0.50 surcharge when you reload at third-party vendors, you can always opt to go for the self-service kiosks. But with RFID and PayDirect now set to be widely available, you’ll be topping up your e-wallets anyways.