Bus Travellers Can Soon Use QR Codes to Clear S’pore-JB Land Checkpoints

By
Champa Ha
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Do you usually go to Malaysia via bus?

Here’s the good news: your travels via bus will now be much easier, thanks to QR codes.

Those looking to cross the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints via bus will be able to enjoy a quick, swift travel through immigration thanks to QR codes.

This is part of a trial beginning on Saturday, 23 Nov, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) announced.

The trial will roll out first at Tuas Checkpoint on 23 Nov. Woodlands Checkpoint will then follow with the trial on 28 Nov.

In a post released by ICA on Facebook, the trial will be conducted at selected automated lanes and special assistance lanes at the arrival and departure bus halls at both checkpoints.

Trial lanes will be indicated by signage placed in the bus halls, with ICA officers on standby to provide assistance in case of any issues, the post continued.

This new trial is open to Singapore citizens, permanent residents, long-term pass holders, and foreign visitors who have visited Singapore before.

“Eligible bus travellers are encouraged to participate in the trial to help ICA fine tune our processes for better traveller experience of the QR code clearance at bus halls,” ICA said.

Physical passports, however, will still be needed.

The Code To Travels

ICA has shared on the Facebook post on how travellers can clear immigration with QR codes at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.

The eligible bus travellers may follow these steps to generate an individual QR code or group QR code for immigration clearance.

Step 1: Download the MyICA mobile application. Select “QR Code at Land Checkpoints”.

Step 2: Generate either an individual or group QR code. Group travellers using the special assistance lanes can generate a group QR code and, under vehicle type, select “Bus”.

Step 3: Proceed to the trial lanes and scan the QR code at the passport scanning area.

ICA will then retrieve the passport details stored in the QR code and the first “flappers”, or gates, open upon verification for travellers to enter the lane.

Step 4: Present biometrics (facial and iris/fingerprint) for verification.

The second flapper opens upon biometrics verification and travellers exit the lane (i.e. cleared immigration).

Immigration clearances through different checkpoints have gradually become smoother in the last few years, with the use of QR codes for immigration clearance for car checkpoints gradually introduced this year.

The first of this usage was on 19 March, implemented for car travellers. It was then extended to bus drivers on 15 Apr.

ICA had, prior to the rollout of the QR initiative in March for car drivers, estimated that cars with four travellers can save around 20 seconds when using QR codes. Clearance time for motorcycles and their pillion riders would be reduced by around 30%.

Malaysia Trials Done

Malaysia has started implementing QR code trials using the MyRentas app around June this year for bus travellers using the Johor Bahru checkpoint.

The trial involved buses and motorcycles and ended this month, and was successful, said Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. Following this successful trial, drivers and commuters will be able to cross between Johor and Singapore using QR codes instead of passports next year.

Peak-hour waiting times for travellers have become significantly reduced from around two hours to 15 minutes, said MyRentas’s vendor said in October. The waiting times for bus travellers using the Second Link to enter Johor were also reduced from 90 to 15 minutes.

The land crossings connecting Singapore and Johor are among the world’s busiest, with an average of 400,000 people using both Johor checkpoints each day, Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin shared on 18 Nov.

Nearly 118 million travelled through both checkpoints from January to October 2024, an increase of 17% from the previous year, he added.

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Champa Ha