Motorists to pay new Genting Highlands road charges from May 28, starting at US$0.80
Genting Malaysia Berhad previously said the charges were necessary due to steep and escalating costs of maintaining the road and its slopes, which were paid for by the firm since the 1960s.
A Google Street view of Jalan Genting Highlands. Under the new system announced by Lingkaran Cekap Sdn Bhd (LCSB) - the authorised operator for Jalan Genting Highlands - motorists will have to pay between RM3.30 and RM25 (between US$0.80 and US$6.30) for access to the popular hill resort area. (Photo: Google Maps)
KUALA LUMPUR: From Thursday (May 28), motorists driving to Genting Highlands will have to pay a charge depending on their vehicle.
Under the new system announced by Lingkaran Cekap Sdn Bhd (LCSB) - the authorised operator for Jalan Genting Highlands - motorists will have to pay between RM3.30 and RM25 (between US$0.80 and US$6.30) for access to the popular hill resort area.
Exemptions are made for those riding motorcycles as well as emergency vehicles at the two entrypoints: Genting Sempah and the Gohtong Jaya roundabout.
Civil servants who work at government institutions on the hill and drive private vehicles are also exempt from the road fee.
Cars and vans in Class 1 will be charged RM5 per entry, while medium-sized lorries in Class 2 will be charged RM15.
Heavy lorries under Class 3 will be charged RM25, while taxis - which fall under vehicles in Class 4 - will be charged RM3.30. Buses, meanwhile, will be charged RM5.
Vehicles under Classes 2, 3, 5 and 5 must also enter through the “Lorong Khas” lanes or licence plate recognition (LPR) lanes, said LCSB.
In the second phase of the charge rollout, LCSB will also extend “preferential schemes” from Jun 28 to permanent residents of Genting Highland. They can register up to two Class 1 vehicles per household.
In the meantime, these residents will not be impacted by the road charge.
Eligible permanent residents can opt for a rate 10 per cent lower than the standard road charge, or apply for a six-month season pass which entitles holders to unlimited entries into Genting Highlands through the LPR or “Lorong Khas” lanes during the pass’ validity period.
Jalan Genting Highland, a privately owned 24km road owned by Genting Malaysia Berhad, provides access to popular tourist hotspots including Resorts World Genting and other hotel resorts not under Genting Malaysia’s properties.
Genting Highlands is located some 60km away from the Kuala Lumpur city centre.
The fee structure was first announced on Nov 13 last year, when Genting Malaysia Berhad said it will soon charge vehicles entering the hill, though details were not provided then.
The company had said the charge was necessary due to steep and escalating costs of maintaining the road and its slopes, which it had paid for since the 1960s.
"Heavy usage on Jalan Genting Highlands has caused a tremendous amount of wear and tear, and requires constant maintenance to ensure the safety of the road users," Genting Malaysia Berhad said in a statement then, adding that the private road charge is the most sustainable way to defray upkeep costs.
Deputy Works Minister Ahmad Maslan said later on Nov 17 that any charges to Genting Highlands should not penalise local residents, workers or those using the route daily.
"In our view, tolls should not be applied to daily users such as local workers or residents, nor to those using the road for social purposes," he had said in parliament.
Ahmad added that excessively high fees could discourage tourists and affect visitor numbers.
"If the charges are too high, the number of visitors may decline. Other tourist destinations do not impose such fees, so these factors must be considered."
He added that the charges should be called vehicle charges and not tolls, as they are levied on users of a private road, and should not be confused with 33 toll concessions currently operating on highways in the country.
