Transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan said this transparency would allow the public to know when toll hikes would take place and by how much.

“With such information readily available, the onus of deciding on which roads to travel rests on the public. They will decide and make that travel decision, not the government,” he said.

Rosli said the government must also make sure that, at the start of every agreement, the rate of increase would not be too expensive.

He said if the government undertook its own traffic forecasts, it would not need to increase the rates at all.

“The increase in traffic volume within the same highway capacity means revenue goes up but not the costs. So, over time, concession companies would make even more profit when traffic increases while operating with the same toll rates,” he told FMT.

He also said postponing any increase in toll rates would mean extending concession agreements for a few more years, while toll rates could further increase in that time.

Rosli said the government should leave the agreement alone and allow the toll increase so that the concession expires as planned.

“Upon expiry of the concession agreement, there won’t be any more toll. The public should be happier. Surely, that would be a sensible thing to target,” he said.

Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education (CME), said the postponement of toll rates for three major highways next year would do little to help alleviate the hardship the general public was facing.

Ferlito said it would be good if the government allowed Parliament to sit so that the actual status of public finances, recovery plan and real figures could be reported.

The economist said this could also be the moment to hold serious conversations on how to build and manage mega projects, including highways.

“A more market-driven approach needs to be discussed and considered by the government.

“This can be a move that alleviates the burden on businesses and the public but it should be accompanied by a wider and more comprehensive strategy for economic growth,” he said.

Economist Barjoyai Bardai of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak said the government should allow the toll rates to increase and, in the meantime, think of a longer-term measure.

Barjoyai said the government could consider taking over the tolls by using the wakaf (endowment) fund. If marketed well, he said, many would contribute to the fund.

Works minister Fadillah Yusof announced on Friday that the government has postponed the increase in toll rates for 2021 for the Kesas Highway, the South Klang Valley Expressway and the Lebuhraya Pantai Timur 2 (LPT2) until next year in view of the economic situation faced by the public.

Planned toll hikes for the North-South Expressway, the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE), the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) and the KL-Putrajaya Highway (MEX) have also been put off.