It is expected to drastically cut the waiting time for motoryclists, especially during peak hours – 4.30am to 7am in the morning and 6pm to 9pm in the evening.
Catering to about 40,000 Malaysians who make the daily commute to work in Singapore, the MBike system will feature a new sticker in the Malaysian passport.
TheSun had, in a report last June, quoted a senior immigration officer as saying that the motorcyclists can scan their MBike sticker in the passport on the scanning machine and if everything is okay, it means the check has been done.
“The rider and pillion arriving at the Causeway CIQ (Johor Baru checkpoint) or Second Link (Complex Custom Sultan Abu Bakar) can proceed to the ‘MBike line’ to have their passport scanned,” the officer had said, adding that the system was to be launched in mid-November, according to the daily.
He also said that the application process for the sticker was “very simple and it was free”.
Meanwhile, The Star spoke to several motorcyclists who make the daily commute between Johor Baru and Singapore.
“I have been working in Singapore for the past 20 years and spend at least four hours daily commuting,” Chong Hin Siong, 50, a factory supervisor was quoted as saying.
He added however, that the main congestion every morning was at the Singapore immigration, suggesting that the faster clearance on the Malaysian side would solve just half the problem.
Meanwhile, Mohd Saizal Abdul Rahim, who is a technical assistant said his job on the island republic starts at 7am, and as a result, he has to leave his house as early as 4.30am.
“This is very tiring but I have no choice. I have to beat the traffic at the Causeway. I welcome any move by both governments to improve clearance times,” he told The Star.
Saizal said he only came to know about the new MBike system through the banners placed around the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex in Johor Baru.