Rosli Khan said delays were a common problem at both land checkpoints, where it is regularly reported that motorists get stuck for an hour or more.

“With a passport-free system, delays or waiting time could be reduced by as much as half.

“My experience of using automated passport machines at airports, in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, normally takes about five to 10 minutes, including time spent in the queue,” he told FMT.

Adding that Causeway traffic had been congested for years with no solution in sight, he said the initiative should be introduced as soon as possible.

On Jan 11, Malaysia and Singapore announced that they were looking to implement passport-free travel at their land checkpoints using a QR code system.

This is a digital system designed to replace traditional paper-based passports with QR codes, which in turn could speed up checkpoint clearance.

The economy ministry and Singapore’s trade and industry ministry said in a joint statement that passport-free travel was one of their initiatives to develop the Johor-Singapore SEZ or special economic zone.

SME Association of South Johor founding president Teh Kee Sin said reduced congestion on the Causeway and the Second Link could draw more Singaporean tourists to Malaysia.

“It is hard to put out a figure at this juncture as the influx would depend on the readiness of the overall infrastructure and availability of consumer services, but with the ease of traffic flow on the Causeway and the Second Link, we could perhaps see a 20-30% increase in visitors from Singapore,” he said.

He added that businesses were looking at this with optimism and making the necessary plans to capitalise on the impending growth.

“SMEs are generally very nimble and I am sure they will respond accordingly,” he said.