Malaysian motorists travelling on the highways have been lucky that, for many years, the government has waived toll charges during the major festive periods. However, such exemptions will no longer be provided starting from this year.
While the move will help the government save tens of millions of ringgit each year (highway concessionaires have to be compensated), there are still plans to provide some sort of benefits to certain groups of highway users. This has been hinted by Works Minister, Dato’ Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi, who said that ‘a more targeted approach’ will be taken with regard to toll-exemptions. Details will be revealed in the near future.
While there will be no more toll-free travel in connection with festive periods, there may be such privileges in certain cases such as the opening of a new highway section. This is the case with the newly-opened Section 2 of the West Coast Expressway (WCE), which connects the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) to the Shah Alam Expressway (SAE). Motorists travelling on both sides of this new section can use it toll-free for one month from January 22, 2025.
