Highway concessionaire PLUS has issued a reminder that it will take legal action against acts of toll evasion. Besides vehicle owners, they have also warned logistic companies to be more vigilant and responsible for the action of their drivers or employees if they fail to pay the required toll charges.
According to PLUS’ statement, they had previously filed a suit against Berjasa Logistics Sdn Bhd (formerly known as Sin Kung Logistics (KL) Sdn Bhd) to recover the unpaid toll fares involving 19 of their vehicles over the past few years. Eventually, the Federal Court upheld the decision by the High Court and Court of Appeal to hold the employer responsible for its employee’s failure to pay toll fares.
The decision made by Shah Alam High Court on 20th July 2017 allowed PLUS to claim back RM518,369.27 and additional cost of RM100,000 from the company for toll fare evasion.
Toll evasion is not only considered stealing but it also puts other road users at risk. You’ve probably seen or experience some vehicles drive up dangerously close to the car in front of them at the toll lanes just to avoid paying toll.
Back in 2018, a frequent toll evader was caught after he failed to pass through the boom barrier on the Smart Tag lane at Sungai Besi Toll Plaza due to heavy traffic. After highway authorities run a check on the vehicle’s registration number, they discovered that the owner in his 30s had accumulated RM900 worth of unpaid toll charges. Eventually, he was detained by the highway authorities.
PLUS stresses that they view toll fare evasion seriously and they seek full cooperation from all logistic companies and heavy vehicle owners to continuously monitor and take appropriate actions against their drivers and employees. They are also aware of several toll fraud tactics by heavy vehicle drivers and are taking the necessary action. PLUS is also working closely with the relevant authorities to curb toll fraud activities across the highway.
