PLUS chief operating officer Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi said as a result, motorists should be prepared to face longer travel times with many people joining the “balik kampung” exodus for the first time after a two-year hiatus because of Covid-19.

He added that PLUS expects a larger than usual traffic volume between April 29 and May 9 with no travel restrictions in place.

“I wish to remind our highway customers to expect longer travel times to their destinations as we foresee possible congestion resulting from the high volume of vehicles on the road.

“However, you can plan ahead with the journey planner in the PLUS App and also follow our soon to be issued Travel Time Advisory (TTA) as well as use Waze and Google Maps for a predictive travel route,” he said in a statement today.

On its part to ease congestion during the period at the various rest stops and toll plazas, Zakaria said PLUS would be deploying 1,500 customer service assistants to ensure its 1,100 lanes across 94 toll plazas nationwide face minimal disruption.

“Over and above that, personnel from its headquarters would also be deployed at all major toll plazas as additional ground support, as we expect this to be an unprecedented Raya exodus,” Zakaria said.

He said motorists have the convenience of choosing three cashless toll payment modes in the form of Touch ‘n Go cards, SmartTAG and the RFID at the toll plazas.

“However, it is important to use the same payment mode upon entry and exit of the highway. For example, if RFID is used upon entry at Jalan Duta Toll, the customer must then exit the highway also using RFID, similarly with Touch ‘n Go and SmartTAG”.

He said using the same mode of payment will greatly reduce the possibility of congestion at the toll booths.