Penang Bridge users happy with open payment system

GEORGE TOWN: Penang motorists are happy with the open toll payment system that has now been extended to the Penang Bridge.

Civil servant Salim Shukri, 35, said the additional options in making toll payment would minimise delays and congestion at the toll plaza.

“I can now use my debit card to pay for toll, instead of just relying on my Touch ‘n Go card or passing through the radio frequency identification (RFID) lanes,” he said.

Technician Edward Lee, 25, said the move came at the right time, as it would surely improve traffic flow, especially during rush hour.

“The existing Touch ‘n Go and RFID lanes sometimes create bottlenecks at the toll booth that lead to congestion.

“But with some booths now accepting bank cards and Touch ‘n Go cards, it will surely reduce long lines.

“All lanes will surely move fast with fewer last-minute switching of lanes,” he said.

Lee, however, hopes that more lanes dedicated to bank card use can be opened.

The open payment system has currently been implemented on two lanes of the Penang Bridge.

Last Friday, PLUS Malaysia started its pilot testing of the open payment toll collection system at the Penang Bridge, allowing commuters to use credit and debit cards for toll payment.

The toll concessionaire wrote on its Facebook page that transactions via debit and credit cards can be conducted at lanes displaying the MyDebit, Visa and Mastercard logos.

“At these lanes, two types of devices are provided, namely the Touch ‘n Go card reader and the MyDebit-Visa-Mastercard reader.

“Users can tap their debit or credit cards on the MyDebit-Visa-Mastercard device for toll transactions, where the toll payment will be deducted from their credit card or debit card balance,” it wrote.

Eligible Penangites will also enjoy a 20% discount on the Penang Bridge toll rate offered by PLUS under PLUSMiles when using bank cards or RFID for payment.

However, users looking to take advantage of the discounted rate will need to register their vehicle and payment method in advance via the Jimat Di Penang portal.