In a statement, PLUS said that 19 Touch ’n Go lanes at 16 toll plazas will be turned into SmartTAG lanes.

It said it would open the lanes by Jan 25 in anticipation of the Chinese New Year travel exodus. It added that another 24 SmartTag lanes will be converted from Touch n’ Go lanes at 18 toll plazas by Feb 19.

PLUS said it will also ensure staff are placed at all toll plazas to assist those with payment issues.

“We will assign customer service assistants at all 158 RFID lanes across 74 toll plazas to assist road users who are stuck at the lanes using portable detection devices,” it said.

PLUS also urged motorists to get their RFID fitted at 24 toll booth offices along the NSE and other highways which they manage as well as 35 other fitting centres.

It will also replace RFID stickers for free if found faulty.

Recently, there had been hiccups under the RFID system that came into effect this month at all toll plazas between Juru and Skudai on the NSE. As a result, it caused severe traffic congestion as many motorists could not make their toll payments via the system.

Motorists have also been complaining about the cost of fitting the RFID sticker, which was priced at RM35 by PLUS. Former prime minister Najib Razak also weighed in on the controversy, saying it costs only RM1 online.

FMT also reported recently that the RFID stickers sold by PLUS were prone to damage after a few car washes.