Works Minister: Sungai Besi Expressway is Malaysia’s first MLFF POC location, 11 highways to support Open Payment System

Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi announced this morning that Sungai Besi Expressway (Besraya) will be the first location for the implementation of Multi-Lane-Fast-Flow (MLFF) Proof of Concept (POC). The POC will be implemented by end of October 2023 to evaluate the MLFF system before it is implemented on all highways in Malaysia.

MLFF offers a barrier-less tolling experience where tolls are collected electronically without the need for physical barriers or toll booths, similar to Singapore’s ERP system. The minister said negotiations are currently underway for an MLFF POC to be conducted on another highway. He will reveal the second location in the near future.

Nanta also revealed five more highways will implement the open payment system which will enable users to pay for tolls via credit and debit cards in addition to the current Touch ‘n Go. The five extra highways include Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP), SPRINT, KESAS, SMART, and KL-Putrajaya Expressway (MEX). This brings the total of open payment system-supported highways to 11 which include the initial five highways Besraya, NPE, AKLEH, GCE and Penang Bridge, along with PLUS’ Butterworth-Kulim Expressway.

The Works Minister said the open payment system which will begin in September, uses a variety of technologies and it is one of the steps towards the transition of MLFF. He added there will be toll payment terminals for credit and debit cards in one lane of the toll plazas.

The Minister said the open payment system will be implemented in phases involving various highway concessionaires. Nanta reminded the public that the open payment system and MLFF can’t be implemented overnight and it has to go through various stages, requiring careful planning and appropriate use of technology before it can be implemented fully. He urges patience and full cooperation from all parties to allow the ministry to implement the new systems.

The government currently aims to implement MLFF by the third quarter of 2024. It was revealed in Parliament that the Works Ministry is allocating RM3.46 billion to implement MLFF. As highlighted previously, there are several things that need to be addressed before physical toll barriers can be removed which include legal framework and effective enforcement.

It is worth highlighting that Green Packet announced in 2021 that it will conduct an MLFF POC with Taiwan’s FETC International Co on Besraya KM5.5 (Northbound) for a three-month period in early 2022. There were no further updates on the MLFF POC.

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