Staying on the topic of radio frequency identification (RFID) for toll payments, works minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the current system implemented by Touch ‘n Go was chosen over competing platforms due to its low cost, according to The Star.
“RFID technology compared to the infrared technology used for SmartTAG devices is the more appropriate choice because it uses radio waves that have wider detection limits, in addition to a lower cost,” he argued.
Fadillah reiterated the now-familiar refrain of the system being in line with the ministry’s aim of introducing multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling, which is set to be fully implemented by 2025. He added that most advanced countries with MLFF systems use RFID.
Confusingly, the minister also said that the government decided against implementing a “barrier-free toll system” like the one used by Singapore for Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) – itself an RFID MLFF system – as it would be prohibitively expensive for Malaysian consumers. “Due to cost constraints and implementation that will burden the people, this system will not be [introduced] in Malaysia.”
The difference between Singapore’s RFID system and ours is that the island nation utilises an active transponder called an in-vehicle unit (IU). The device is powered by the car’s electrics, enabling better detection using the overhead ERP gantries. The cost of an IU – mandatory for new cars – dwarfs the controversial RM35 required for Touch ‘n Go RFID self-fitment stickers, at S$155.80 (RM480) a pop.
Singapore will switch to a new ERP system next year, ditching the RFID gantries in favour of GPS-based payments, using a new on-board unit (OBU) provided for free. Its implementation has been delayed twice, first from end-2020 to end-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then to the second half of 2023 as a result of the global semiconductor chip crisis.
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