KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 18): PLUS Malaysia Bhd confirmed today that it has been served with an arbitration notice by CIMB Group Holdings Bhd to restraint PLUS from engaging further in the PLUS Radio Frequency Identification (PLUS RFID) business.

Highway operator PLUS said in a statement today CIMB Group and its wholly-owned subsidiary CIMB SI 1 Sdn Bhd have initiated arbitration proceeding against PLUS pursuant to the disputes under the joint venture agreement dated May 12, 1998.

Today, PLUS said it is looking forward to making its case in the arbitration proceeding.

"PLUS hereby confirms that it has been served with the arbitration notice dated Dec 17, 2018 on the same date by CIMB. PLUS firmly believes that the recent launch of the PLUS RFID targeted pilot, will promote choices to the rakyat as it offers options and convenience for customers to pay as [they] use, with credit and debit cards, in addition to the existing e-wallet and prepaid mode of payment provided by Touch 'n Go.

"Touch 'n Go's e-wallet and prepaid payment remains one of the options in the PLUS RFID public pilot project, PLUS therefore believes that it is not a breach of any agreement. Giving additional choices to the highway users should be considered a virtue, in line with the spirit of the Touch 'n Go agreement to provide them the best customer service," PLUS said.