KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 — The government has yet to issue any directives to any expressway concession holders on toll rate hike, said Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof.
He said based on the concession agreements, some of the expressways were supposed to increase toll rates in 2014, but the government has yet to issue any directives to them.
Instead, he said the government was still looking for ways to offset the impact on the people if toll rates were to increase by considering the views of various quarters.
This includes the setting up of a special laboratory by the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) to study the implications of toll rate hike in 2014, he said in a statement today.
Fadillah said since 2008, the government had implemented several measures to ease the burden of expressway users, including deferring toll rate increases from 2008 till 2013, for 15 expressways.
He said other steps were early closing of toll plazas and abolition of toll collection at seven toll plazas.
The government has reduced toll rates at three expressways besides restructuring toll rates on expressways operated by PLUS and MTD Group, he added.
While considering measures to reduce the burden of the people, he said the government had to honour the terms of the concession agreements.
This is to ensure that Malaysia continues to gain investors' confidence to enable efforts to put the economy on a firmer and competitive footing are not affected, he added. — Bernama
