Johor immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said 357,265 visitors were recorded at both the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) in Johor Bahru and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Gelang Patah from the day before Hari Raya Aidilfitri to the second day of the celebration last year.

He said this year’s influx of travellers is expected to exceed last year’s figures.

To cope with the increase, 10 additional contraflow counters have been added to the original 22 manual counters at BSI, making for a total of 32 manual counters.

Six additional contraflow counters have been added to the original 20 automatic counters at BSI, making for a total of 26 automatic counters.

A contraflow lane will also be introduced for buses at BSI, which Baharuddin said will help reduce waiting time for passengers by 50%.

Meanwhile, at KSAB, authorities will activate a contraflow lane for cars, which will add 12 additional counters to the existing 24 counters at the entry and exit lanes.

Twelve hybrid counters will also be used for motorcycle lanes if required.

Baharuddin said a 32-member quick response team (QRT) is on standby to ensure operations run smoothly at both checkpoints.

Apart from technical issues at the counters, he said, the 12 QRT officials at BSI and 20 QRT officials at KSAB will be monitoring and addressing sudden increases in traffic.

He advised those using the checkpoints to check the immigration department’s social media platforms before planning their journey.