If toll concessionaire Plus Expressways Bhd (Plus) rounds up its toll rate to the nearest 10 sen, then it is going beyond the 10 percent hike permitted by the government since January.

A malaysiakini reader who is a frequent commuter between the Ebor and Seafield toll plazas in Batu Tiga, Shah Alam claimed that the increase is certainly more than 10 percent for the distance between the two plazas.

According to him, he used to pay 40 sen but now he is paying 50 sen from Ebor to Seafield when the exact amount that should be charged after the 10 percent hike should be 44 sen.

While commuters in that sector are burdened with the extra charge due to the rounded-up figure, it is also interesting to note that the old rates remain at several other toll plazas in the country. (See table)

Contacted today, Plus corporate communications head Khalilah Mohd Talha clarified that the toll fare for the 'closed system' is charged based on the distance between the entry plaza and the exit plaza plus the distance from the plaza to the 'limit of maintenance responsibility' (LMR) area.

LMR refers to the stretch before or after a toll plaza is maintained by the concessionaire.

Similar agreements

Expressway Lingkaran Tengah Sdn Bhd (Elite), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Plus and the concessionaire for the Ebor to Seafield stretch, applies the closed system. Plus has a maintenance and operations agreement it.

There are similar agreements between Plus and other concessionaires, such as Plus collecting on behalf of Metramac Corporation Sdn Bhd at the Sungai Besi toll plaza. Metramac is the concessionaire for that stretch which was gazetted in 1995.

As a result, motorists who use the Sungai Besi toll will be charged 80 sen more to cover the 10.5km stretch before and after the plaza.

Ebor North and Ebor South are ramps connecting the North- South Expressway Central Link to the Batu Tiga - Puchong Highway. The Bandar Baru Nilai, Salak Tinggi and Putrajaya interchanges form part of the closed toll system.

Plus increased the North-South Expressway toll rate by 10 percent - from 12.36 sen to 13.6 sen per kilometer from Jan 1.