Hari Raya is happening next week and highway concessionaire PLUS is expecting over 2 million vehicles to hit the North-South Expressway (NSE). For a smoother journey and to reduce congestion, PLUS has released its Travel Time Advisory in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season from 29th April until 9th May 2022.
Travel Time Advisory for PLUS highway during Raya 2022
Best times to leave the Klang Valley (29th April to 2nd May)
If you’re travelling from the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor region to Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak (North) and Johor, it is recommended to start your journey before 10.00am. If you’re heading to other states, PLUS recommends that you start your journey after 1.00pm.
Best times to return to the Klang Valley (5th to 9th May)
Highway users heading back to the Klang Valley are advised to start their journey before 9.00am. This is applicable to all states including Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak (North) and Johor.
According to PLUS, the TTA is aimed at distributing and circumventing the convergence of traffic entering the highway at the same time on major highway stretches, toll plazas and rest areas, to reduce congestion. It is designed based on previous festive seasons and long weekend travelling patterns to guide and help highway users to experience the best possible journey in this unprecedented festive travel period.
PLUS Chief Operating Officer, Datuk Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi said “As this is the first time after 2 years of the Movement Control Order (MCO), that we Malaysians are allowed to travel back to our loved ones to celebrate Raya Aidilfitri, we anticipate about 2 million vehicles, which is a 25 percent increase compared to the current daily 1.6 million vehicles plying on our highway. Therefore, please expect congestion and possibly prolonged duration of your travel time. So, we strongly urge and advise highway customers to adhere to the TTA schedule during Balik Kampung and Pulang ke Bandar Journey.”
He explained that highway users can expect a longer travel time on the highway if they choose not to adhere to the TTA schedule.
All users are advised to mobile apps such as PLUS App (Android / iOS), Waze or Google Maps to better plan their journey during the period. Users can also get updates via PLUS’ official Twitter account, PLUS apps or call the toll-free PLUSLine at 1800-88-0000.
Additional on-ground support to assist PLUS highway users
With the anticipated surge of vehicles during the Raya holiday, PLUS will be deploying 1,500 customer service team personnel to enhance traffic efficiency at all toll plazas. This is aimed at reducing congestion at all of its 1,100 lanes across 94 toll plazas nationwide.
Datuk Zakaria said the additional PLUS customer service assistants will be stationed at the toll plaza lanes to ensure a smooth and seamless drive, and to assist in the eventuality of toll transaction complications. PLUS accepts 3 modes of cashless toll payments in the form of physical Touch ‘n Go cards, SmartTAG and RFID.
All users are reminded to enter and exit the highway using the same payment method. For example, if you enter the highway with RFID, you should also exit via RFID to avoid any penalty charges. Take note that RFID lanes are only for vehicles with RFID tag installed, and the lanes won’t work with SmartTAG.
PLUS currently has only implemented RFID on the west coast highways in Peninsular Malaysia. RFID is still not available on the East Coast.
Ensure sufficient TNG or TNG eWallet balance before the trip
Before starting your journey, do ensure that you have a sufficient credit balance for the trip by topping up your physical Touch ‘n Go (TNG) card or having a sufficient balance in your TNG eWallet if you’re using RFID. The barrier for the RFID lane will not go up if you do not have sufficient balance in your TNG eWallet. For a hassle-free experience, you can always enable auto-reload using a credit or debit card for your eWallet and set a higher minimum balance threshold.
If you’re still using a TNG card, you can reload at over 11,000 reload centres nationwide including selected R&R, ATM machines, petrol stations and convenience stores. Along the PLUS highway, there are 67 self-service kiosks (SSK) at selected toll plazas and 22 Touch ‘n Go counters that offer reloads without extra charge at selected petrol stations. Take note that PLUS doesn’t support PayDirect so you’ll have to ensure sufficient balance on your TNG card.
In case you missed it, Touch ‘n Go has recently launched its Enhanced TNG Card with NFC feature, which allows you to reload by tapping the card behind your NFC-capable smartphone. The card costs RM10 and you can order it via the TNG eWallet and participating outlets. At the moment, it is reported to be sold out and Touch ‘n Go says the new cards are limited due to the global chip shortage.
