It’s only been 2 days since the closure of Touch n’ Go top up lanes at PLUS toll Plazas nationwide, and many are still voicing out their satisfaction with the e-payment system.
Within the #MansuhTouchNGo movement, a few issues were brought up. One of which is the inability of the smart card users to transfer their balance to a new card after not using their cards for a year.
Some complaints were also on the 10% surcharge imposed when users make payments at parking sites via their Touch n’ Go cards.
Some users also pointed out the 50 sen reload fee that they have to pay when reloading their smart cards at Touch n’ Go kiosks or other merchant sites.
A Touch n’ Go spokesman later addressed this issue with Free Malaysia Today, citing “a strain to the system” and “inconvenience for users” as reasons behind this move.
According to the spokesman, the technology behind the Touch n’ Go cards, MIRAFE, only allow for transactions to take place when the card contacts the reader which is why registering your smart cards on the portal is vital for safety and security purposes. This is also the reason why the balance from your smart cards is moved to the user’s personal bank accounts instead of another card.
As for surcharge imposed by parking operators on payments made via Touch n’ Go cards, the Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister, Chong Chieng Jen, recently announced that the extra 10% surcharge for parking facilities will be abolished in phases. It was also revealed by Touch n’ Go that the surcharge imposed are for costs of operation and maintenance of the Touch n’ Go infrastructure and that the fee is shared amongst the two parties based on agreed cost.
Photo: Twitter @firdyfire
Touch n’ Go is now actively working towards eliminating those charges. Newer parking sites do not impose these charges while they are currently over 200 surcharge free sites available for customers.
It was also clarified by the minister that the reload service fee of 50 sen that just leave us all baffled, was actually charged by third-party vendors providing the reload service and not Touch n’ Go themselves. These include petrol stations, self-service kiosks, supermarkets and retail chains across the nation.
We hope with this series of explanations, users can get some sort of answer to all their burning questions and that Touch n’ Go will keep to their promise of providing better services for their users.
By: Siti Farhana Sheikh Yahya
