KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has shared some festive cheer for West Malaysia folks by announcing free and discounted tolls on 30 highways in conjunction with the upcoming Raya festival. If you’re planning a road trip to take advantage of the free tolls on the North-South Expressway, here are four things you need to know.
Free toll on PLUS available for four days only
As announced by the prime minister, the free toll offer is applicable for the following weekend period:
- 12:01am (Saturday) 30th April to 11:59pm (Sunday) 1st May
- 12:01am (Saturday) 7th May to 11:59pm (Sunday) 8th May
To be eligible for the free toll, you must enter and exit within the free toll period.
TNG Card, SmartTAG and RFID still required
While the tolls are offered for free during the promo period, highway users are still required to drive through the toll lanes as usual as the barriers are still operational. This means you would still need to tap your Touch ‘n Go card or use your SmartTAG device and RFID tag as usual. As always, you must enter and exit the North-South Expressway using the same payment method. If you enter via RFID, you should also exit via RFID.
If you can’t exit the highway within the promo period, you will have to pay the toll. To be safe, it is still recommended to maintain sufficient Touch ‘n Go card credit or eWallet balance if you’re using RFID.
Exit the nearest toll plaza before the deadline to enjoy free toll
As mentioned earlier, you must enter and exit the PLUS Highway toll plaza during the promo period in order to enjoy RM0 toll charges. This means if you exit after the deadline, you will have to pay the full toll according to your class of vehicle.
If you can’t reach your final toll plaza on time due to congestion or delay, you can exit at the nearest toll plaza before 11:59pm on the final day of the promo and enter the highway again. At least, the first half of your trip is free and you will only pay toll for the remaining distance on the highway. Similarly, if you entered the highway before the promo starts at 12:01am, you can also exit the highway after midnight and reenter again to enjoy free toll for the remainder of your trip.
For a smoother journey, it is best to use navigational apps such as Waze and Google Maps to get updates on what’s ahead.
Follow the travel time advisory for a smoother journey
Prior to the prime minister’s announcement, PLUS is expecting over two million vehicles on the North-South Expressway for Raya which is a 25 per cent increase. With the free toll offer, it looks like there will be more vehicles on the road and it is still recommended to follow the Travel Time Advisory published by PLUS.
If you’re travelling back to your home town between 29th April to 2nd May, it is recommended to start your trip before 10am if you are going to Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak (North) and Johor. If you’re heading to other states, it is best to start your journey after 1:00pm. Meanwhile, for those who are returning back to the Klang Valley between 5th May to 9th May, it is recommended to start your journey before 9am, regardless of where you are starting your journey.
To provide further assistance to highway users, PLUS is deploying additional staff at all of its 1,100 lanes across 94 toll plazas during the Raya holiday season. They will be stationed to assist with toll transaction complications in order to minimise potential congestion at the toll plazas.
As always, drive safe and follow the SOPs if you’re dropping by the R&R areas. — SoyaCincau
