Open Payment System On 11 Major Highways Officially Begins

According to a statement made yesterday by Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi, the Open Payment Toll Collection System (SPT) has begun in full on 11 highways in Peninsular Malaysia. As the minister had previously promised, once this system is in place, drivers will be able to pay tolls using debit or credit cards instead of Touch 'n Go cards, RFID, or SmartTAG.
“Our objective is to provide payment options for users since previously there were only one or two systems; sometimes their (Touch’N Go) card(s) balance is not sufficient (for toll payment),” Nanta said after officiating the Implementation of the SPT at the Loke Yew toll plaza on the BESRAYA highway earlier today. “Road users now have another option, namely the SPT, this is also the first step towards implementing the multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system in the future.”

The 11 highways mentioned earlier includes the Sungai Besi Highway (BESRAYA), New Pantai Highway (NPE), Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP), Western Kuala Lumpur Traffic Dispersal Scheme (SPRINT), Shah Alam Highway (KESAS), SMART Tunnel, Duta-Ulu Klang Highway (DUKE), Maju Highway (MEX), Guthrie Corridor Highway (GCE), Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH), and the Butterworth-Kulim Highway (BKE). Regarding any upcoming plans to increase the quantity of SPT lanes at toll plazas generally, the minister remained silent.

It should be noted that the Penang Bridge was originally supposed to be on the list of participating highways. Nanta stated that the Open Payment Toll Collection System will not be implemented at the location until the end of the year to give its concessionaire more time to conduct additional research.

He also stated that discussions are currently underway to expand the implementation of SPT to additional highways across the country. Unfortunately, he did not provide a timetable for potential future implementations.