As most of you have read in the newspaper today regarding the discount for toll rates at midnight starting 1st January 2009, i would like to give my two cents opinion here and hope to hear your feedbacks. The 3 incentives by PLUS are:
1) 10% discount from the tol rate for PLUS users between 12.00 midnight to 7 a.m.
2) Further 10% from the discounted rate between 12 midnight and 7 am during festive seasons (limited to 6 days)
3) Additional 5% incentive for Touch N Go and Smart tag users who spend more than RM200 a month.
Well, for me it is "too little, too late". It is a baby step after years of outburst by highway users against the unfair and lopsided highway agreement.
And not much can be felt by users with this incentives. The 10% discount should be applied across the board, all the time not only limited to midnight. Most users travel along the highway during day time and evening. Is the government encouraging the people to go home past midnight everyday? And travelling during midnight can be dangerous too due to sleepines, etc.
The discount during the 6 days festive period is not sufficient at all. What's the point giving discount on festive days itself? Most people "balik kampung" 2-3 days before the festive day, right? And the 19% is nothing to shout about. It should be free of charge during the period as this will reduce traffic jam at toll booth and encourage more people to travel by highway instead of trunk roads as most accident happened in trunk roads.
The Works Minister said that PLUS is adopting "Corporate Social Responsibility". Well, consider these facts before you agree with him especially Seremban folks;
1) KL-Seremban portion has collected RM3 billion so far and the collection period is until 2038
2) All upgrading work along the highway and expansion to 3 lanes are funded by the government's coffer (read, taxpayers' monies)
3) The proposed RM168 million new toll plaza near Seremban 2 will be built using government allocation (read, taxpayers' monies)
4) All the 940 new street lights installed recently from Nilai Utara to Seremban costing RM22 million were not borne by PLUS, your money again :)
Folks, what say you? .
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
PLUS Travel Incentive - What say you?
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4 comments:
What sayeth me?
Only one sentence.
Do not vote for BN goons come PRU-13.
P130 voter.
I remember the time when toll from S'ban-KL costs RM1.50 - 50 sen at the old Labu toll plaza and RM1.00 at the current Sg Besi toll plaza). Today, its RM7.70 (if you're entering from the PD toll plaza). Its going to be double this figure by 2020. Roads are part of basic necessities which the govt should bear the cost of building and maintaining, I say.
Hi,
Any discounts given are good. Especially for regular users of the highways. Further discounts(or free usage) should be given when there's a jam on the highway!
My 20 cts(inflation).
the traveling time will not encourage healthy lifestyle nor conducive for family traveling but a boon to mat rempits and penyamuns at selected toll rest places
PLUS also not clarified whether rescue and patrol services will be doubled up in anticipation of increased traffic flow, if any
the time of offer suggest that PLUS is not sincere in lessening the burden of rakyat whom they have feasted over 2 centuries; in fact an insult to the hard pressed and oppressed fellow Malaysians. the smirks of the officials at the announcement project ignorance at best and pure insensitivity at worse
PLUS can do better by thinking ways of cutting cost and pass on the benefit to the public in the form of reduced prices
still paying ever increasing interest expense after paying more and more loans?
Lee Wee Tak
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