KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 6 -- Malaysia is set to launch public trials of a barrierless toll booth system using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to ease congestion and modernise its toll collection process.

The trial, led by highway operator PLUSMalaysia, will begin in mid-August on the North-South Expressway and involve thousands of selected participants, Singapore's The Straits Times reported.

If successful, the ANPR pilot will serve as a key component in Malaysia's nationwide multi-lane fast flow (MLFF) toll system, which authorities aim to roll out by 2027.

"This pilot is a crucial step in our shift towards the MLFF system," a source familiar with the project was quoted as saying, adding that it would assess ANPR's per...