Private vehicles get 50% toll discount on most highways on Dec 23 and 24, with the government covering RM20.65 million in compensation.
PETALING JAYA: Motorists in Malaysia will receive a 50% reduction in toll charges for two days during the Christmas holiday period, with the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) anticipating significant increases in festive season traffic across the nation.
The authority announced the initiative today, stating it is designed to ease the financial burden on millions of travelers during what is expected to be one of the busiest periods on the country’s road network. Traffic volumes are forecast to start climbing from Friday (Dec 19).
LLM projects that highway traffic will reach approximately 2.6 million vehicles daily during the Christmas period, with the PLUS group’s expressway network alone expected to handle around 2.2 million vehicles.
The toll reduction will be available for Class 1 and Class 2 vehicles, as well as users of the Penang Bridge, beginning at 12:01am on December 23 and concluding at 11:59pm on December 24. The discount applies to all toll plazas nationwide, with two exceptions: the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) toll plaza on the North-South Expressway and the Tanjung Kupang toll plaza on the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link (LINKEDUA).
Additional expressways anticipated to experience heavy traffic include the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (186,000 vehicles), East Coast Expressway Phase 1 (69,200 vehicles), East Coast Expressway Phase 2 (33,200 vehicles), and the West Coast Expressway (144,600 vehicles).
To accommodate the expected surge in travelers, LLM has mandated that highway concessionaires implement enhanced operational measures to facilitate safer and more efficient journeys.
These preparations include halting all non-essential lane closures between December 19 and 28, deploying “smart lanes” at 30 designated points along the PLUS Expressway network, and maintaining optimal toll collection system performance to minimize plaza congestion.
Concessionaires have also been instructed to upgrade amenities at rest and service areas (R&Rs) and lay-bys, including expanding parking capacity, installing temporary toilet facilities, increasing cleaning staff presence, and guaranteeing adequate fuel availability at highway petrol stations.
Motorcyclists should exercise particular caution in areas where smart lanes are operational and utilize the 571 designated motorcycle shelters located along highways when weather conditions deteriorate.
Travelers are encouraged to prepare their journeys using LLM’s TuJu Highway Navigation App and MyPLUS-TTA, which provide travel time guidance. Motorists should verify their vehicles are roadworthy and confirm sufficient balance on Touch ’n Go cards, e-wallets, or debit cards before departing.
Current traffic conditions and highway incident information can be accessed through LLM’s official social media channels on Facebook, X (@llmtrafik), and TikTok (@llmtrafik), or by calling the traffic management center at 1-800-88-7752.
