In December, a total of 32 highway toll concessionaires protested the government’s move to directly award the the multi-lane free-flow toll system (MLFF) contract to a single, private company. The concessionaires said that the “appointment …
. The concessionaires said that the “appointment agreement” with KJS-SEP Synergy, a company linked to YTL Corporation, for the project was carried out without consulting the highway concessionaires, who would eventually foot the bill.
A source told the news publication that senior Berjaya executives have held individual meetings with representatives of the 32 concessionaires to get feedback before submitting its final proposal to the works ministry. The source reportedly said that the Berjaya offer is more palatable compared to the earlier proposal, which is still being considered by the government.
The report added that concessionaires are proposing that the company providing the toll collection service to take care of revenue leaks that arise when toll booth barriers are removed, as the companies do not want to be bogged down with tracking down motorists who drive through toll plazas without paying.
The objection from highway concessionaires to the government’s plan of appointing the one company to handle the MLFF project stems from issues of cost and over contracts. The companies contended that they could implement a free-flow system for at least 30% less than the YTL proposal, and added that the move would also violate their individual agreements with the government.