SINGAPORE: To address the longtime traffic problem at one of the busiest land crossings worldwide, a trial run for the QR Code Immigration Clearance System of Johor-Singapore factory buses will begin in June.
With this new system, passengers will be inspected for immigration on board the buses, announced Mr Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh, the chairman of the State Works, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Communication committee, earlier this week.
The New Straits Times quotes him as saying, “The immigration officers equipped with handheld QR scanners will board the buses and clear immigration inspection using the QR code system. Passengers are required to show their generated QR code to the officers on board.”
There are between 400 and 500 factory buses that travel the Johor-Singapore Causeway every day.
The trial run will be held before a wider implementation at checkpoints at the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) in Johor Baru and the SecondLink Komplex Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) in Gelang Patah, which is currently being refined.
Mr Fazli said, “It is now at the ‘polishing up’ and ‘tightening’ stage.”
He told CNA, “The pilot test initiative involves only Malaysians who pass through onboard bas kilangs. These travellers are still required to bring their passports because, at this point, the QR code systems for both Malaysia and Singapore function differently and are not yet integrated.”
The new QR code system will eventually be rolled out in stages, beginning with Johor.
Johor’s Chief Minister, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, said, “If the QR clearance system proves to be effective in alleviating congestion at our land checkpoints, it should be implemented without delay” at the BSI and KSAB facilities.
NST also reported that he said the state government is open to endeavours from the federal government to address traffic problems.
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This initiative in Johor follows Singapore’s QR code customs clearance system at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.
Implemented just last month, the system allows people entering and exiting by car from the two checkpoints to use QR codes to clear customs and no longer need a passport.
Its goal is to alleviate congestion and reduce waiting times, particularly during peak hours.
A number of Malaysians had expressed the hope that a similar QR code system would also be implemented on the Johor side to speed up the process, especially during peak hours. /TISG
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