Refunds follow furore as Penang cancels 29,240 ANPR summonses, vows manual enforcement only

George Town, Aug 10 — Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will cancel 29,240 summonses issued via the automated number plate recognition (ANPR) system between 2025 and this August. The council's chairman, H’ng Mooi Lye, revealed that the city council will also refund RM266,160 in total summons payments collected during the same period.

The ANPR summons system, which has been halted entirely, will now only issue summons manually by enforcement officers. Public concerns over the system's limitations led to this decision, as vehicles stopping to drop off passengers were wrongly issued summonses for illegal parking due to the inability of the ANPR system to detect the presence of drivers and passengers.

All ANPR-issued summonses for illegal parking will be cancelled to prevent disputes. The council will review the ANPR system and discontinue its use for enforcement, reserving it for monitoring only. Those who have already paid summonses can submit refund claims by September 30, while those who received summonses for non-payment despite paying within a 10-minute grace period can appeal for cancellation and refunds by submitting payment receipts and bank statements to designated MBPP or MBSP offices.