Home ministry deputy secretary-general (policy and control) Makhzan Mahyuddin said 50 initiatives had been planned across four phases since 2019, 58% of which were complete.

“Previously, peak-hour congestion was between 3.45am and 4.30am, but it has now shifted to 6.30am.

“In the past, individuals had to spend up to three hours going through procedures at the customs, immigration and quarantine complex (CIQ). Today, that time has been reduced to less than an hour.

“We are confident that as more short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives are completed, the processing time will be further reduced,” he told a press conference after a media tour on initiatives to ease congestion at the Johor Causeway at the CIQ complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) today.

He said a key measure introduced by the ministry to alleviate peak-hour congestion was the addition of counters equipped with a quick response (QR) code system for all modes of transportation including motorcycles, buses, and cars.

“Currently, eight counters for the entry of motorcycles and eight for their exit have been equipped with QR code systems, along with two counters for buses. Our goal is to expand this system to all counters,” he said.

He said the initiative would be further refined during the special committee meeting to address congestion at the Johor Causeway, to be chaired by deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof in Kuala Lumpur on March 3.

The completed initiatives so far include the replacement of Royal Malaysian Customs scanning machines, the implementation of a contra-flow route at the entryway, improvements to the BSI electrical system, and the integration of toll payments with the vehicle entry permit system at a single location.

Spanning 232,237 square metres, BSI is the largest CIQ complex in Malaysia. On Dec 20 last year, it recorded its highest ever daily visitor movements with 375,828 people passing through.