KUALA LUMPUR: Plus Malaysia Bhd will not reopen any lane for Touch ’n Go (TnGo) reloading despite complaints from road users.
Its corporate, community and public engagement head, Syed Mohammed Idid Syed Ahmad Idid, said there were 11,000 TnGo reload centres nationwide located at strategic areas for them to top up their cards.
He said the facilities were available at petrol stations, convenience stores, automated teller machines, self-service kiosks in shopping malls, at the entry lanes of 65 toll plazas and 68 self-service kiosks at the 67 PLUS rest-and-service areas (RSAs) and laybys, and 27 customer service centres, as well as 34 TnGo spots at petrol stations in PLUS highways.
“All TnGo self-service reload kiosks in highways offer multiple reload denominations from RM10 and above, with no surcharge,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
He said every TnGo self-service kiosk was maintained regularly and promptly, following any report of malfunction.
He said since no top-up at lanes was introduced on Aug 1 in the central region and on Nov 5 in the northern and southern regions, the number of customers experiencing insufficient balance had gone down.
“In the central region, the number has dropped by 1.3 per cent this week, while
in the northern region, it has dropped from five per cent to 3.2 per cent, and southern region (from four per cent to 3.8 per cent).
“There has been communication to highway customers via the mainstream and online media, including social media, and notifications at toll lanes and RSAs in the form of buntings and posters, as well as flyers, to drivers, and electronic signages in highways.”
He advised highway users to check their TnGo balance via their SmartTAG, at entry toll lanes, or at any self-service kiosk, before their journey.
“If they have insufficient balance, they have to remain in their vehicle, use the intercom and wait for our customer service personnel to attend and assist them.”
He said PLUS would adopt the MultiLane Free Flow (MLFF) and Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) systems in its highways, with cashless transaction playing a key role.
“All PLUS highways will be RFID-enabled by April next year. SmartTag and TnGo lanes will exist to give highway users the convenience of time for their transition to RFID, in line with the requirement of the Malaysia Highway Authority.”
It was reported that PLUS and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd are collaborating to provide additional payment options that allow customers to link their TnGo’s RFID tags to bank accounts, credit cards, debit cards or TnGo e-wallet.
Syed Mohammed said PLUS would like to express its gratitude to customers for helping to lessen congestion at exit lanes by having sufficient balance in their TnGo cards.
The TnGo RFID service will be available by Jan 1 at 10 open system toll plazas at PLUS expressways, and by April 1, for all 83 closed system toll plazas.
A Touch ’n Go Sdn Bhd spokesman said a campaign was in place to encourage customers to be mindful of their card balances.
“Throughout this campaign, we aim to help educate customers about alternative reload locations, and the importance of reloading their cards ahead of their journeys.”
The company has been conducting a joint campaign with vendors, such as Watsons, to encourage customers to reload their cards.
The campaign, called Balance X Cukup, was launched on Nov 7 and will end on Dec 31.
It encourages customers to reload their cards when shopping at Watsons by offering them a RM5 voucher and a tissue pack for every transaction, with a minimum reload amount of RM50.
A total of 44,000 Watsons vouchers are available at 80 participating TnGo’s spots nationwide throughout the campaign.