Putrajaya outlines toll hike math, says deferment saves rakyat RM1.6k a year

Summary

• Putrajaya will pay an estimated RM568.92 million in compensation to highway concessionaires in 2025 for deferring toll hikes on 10 expressways.

• The move benefits around 941,000 users, with Class 1 vehicle commuters potentially saving RM136 a month or RM1,632 a year.

• Without the deferment, toll hikes could have ranged from RM0.50 to RM15.30 depending on vehicle class and toll system.

PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya has detailed the monetary savings enjoyed by the rakyat following the government’s decision to delay the increase in toll rates on several highways.

Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi noted that the quantum of the toll rate increase for Class 1 vehicles based on the concession agreement for the 10 major expressways ranges from RM0.50 to RM4.56, or an increase of between 79 percent and 83 percent.

The minister furnished an example of a Class 1 vehicle user who commutes to work via the Putrajaya Toll Plaza on the Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya Maju Expressway (MEX), who will enjoy savings of RM6.80 for a round trip, thanks to the delayed toll rate hike.

“If these savings are multiplied over 20 working days in a month or 240 days in a year, the total savings enjoyed by the road user would be RM136 per month or RM1,632 per year.

“The ministry hopes that the implementation of the toll rate hike deferment will, to some extent, help ease the rakyat’s cost of living, especially for frequent highway users who rely on it for their daily commute,” Nanta (GPS-Kapit) told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He added that the toll rate increase if the hike is not postponed would see Class 1 vehicle travellers under the open toll system paying an additional fee ranging between 50 sen to RM4.56, while Class 2 vehicle users will have to fork out an extra RM1 to RM6.80.

Class 3 vehicle users, meanwhile, would have to pay between RM1.40 to RM15.30 more, Class 4 (20 sen to RM1.90) and Class 5 (20 sen to RM5.70).

941k users to benefit

For the closed toll system under the postponed toll hike, Class 1 vehicle users would be subject to an increase between 3.36 sen per km and 5.99 sen, while Class 2 users would see an increase between 2.40 sen and 8.98 sen.

An increase between 3.60 sen and 11.98 sen would be imposed on Class 3 vehicle users, alongside 1.68 sen to 3.01 sen for Class 4, as well as 3.36 sen to 6.86 sen for Class 5.

Nanta was responding to a question from backbencher Sh Puzi Sh Ali (BN-Pekan) on the implications for highway users if the government does not postpone the increase in toll rates, as previously announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

While Anwar had earlier said that Putrajaya will have to spend RM500 million to cover the costs of postponing the toll rate hike, Nanta said today that the government is expected to bear compensation costs amounting to approximately RM568.92 million per year.

However, he highlighted that the actual compensation amount to be paid by the government is subject to the actual traffic volume and verification by the government’s and concession companies’ operations auditors.

“The deferment of toll rate hikes on these 10 expressways will benefit approximately 941,000 users who utilise these highways,” the minister added.

Nanta had previously urged concessionaires to understand the government’s decision, acknowledging that while the companies’ cash flow would be affected by the delayed toll hike, the move is necessary to lighten the burden borne by the people.

The highways involved in the measure include the MEX Expressway, the Cheras–Kajang Highway, the Kuala Lumpur–Kuala Selangor Highway, the New North Klang Straits Bypass, the Senai–Desaru Expressway and the East Coast Expressway Phase 2.

Additionally, the South Klang Valley Expressway, the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge, the Duta–Ulu Kelang Expressway and the Butterworth Outer Ring Road are also affected by the decision.

Reporting by Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain, Alyaa Alhadjri, N Faizal Ghazali

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