Last week, the government announced that all private vehicles using PLUS highways will be paying reduced toll charges from Feb 1.

The highways include the North-South Expressway, NKVE, ELITE, Linkedua, LPT2, Seremban-Port Dickson Highway (SPDH), Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE) and the Penang Bridge.

In return, the government has agreed to extend the PLUS concession period by another 20 years, from 2038 to 2058. It also said throughout this 38-year period, there would be no toll increase.

The current toll rate for commercial vehicles, meanwhile, will be maintained but will not be increased until the concession ends.

“The 18% reduction in toll rates will see savings for all those involved of up to RM1.1 billion this year.

“This includes half a billion ringgit from the 18% reduction and RM0.6 billion from not having to pay compensation,” Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said in a statement.

When the reduction was first announced, former prime minister Najib Razak criticised it, saying that taxis, buses and lorries would not benefit from the initiative.

He also said that transportation companies would have to bear the toll rates as the reduction was only meant for private vehicles.