ISKANDAR PUTERI: More than 12 million people have travelled between Malaysia and Singapore using both the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ BSI) and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (CIQ KSAB), says Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
Based on records from the Immigration Department, some 6.3 million Malaysians and 2.3 million foreigners have travelled through the CIQ since the reopening of the border between April and last Tuesday.
“In the same period, some 2.7 million locals and 704,000 foreigners have travelled using KSAB,” he added.
Onn Hafiz said this in his reply to Andrew Chen Kah Eng (PH-Stulang), Chew Chong Sin (PH-Mengkibol) and Hasrunizah Hassan (BN-Pulai Sebatang) during the state assembly sitting at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here yesterday.
The assemblymen wanted to know the situation at both checkpoints after the Malaysia and Singapore border reopened on April 1.
Onn Hafiz said 138,000 people entered and exited the CIQ BSI daily, while figures stood at 28,000 people daily at the CIQ KSAB.
Of vehicles usage at the BSI for the same period, he said 42.9% of the locals used buses, followed by motorcycles (38.1%), cars (15.2%), and lorries (3.7%).
As for the non-citizens, 54.7% used cars. This was followed by buses (38.6%), motorcycles (6.6%) and 0.1% for lorries.
Onn Hafiz added that vehicle usage for Malaysians at the CIQ KSAB for the same period were motorcycles (61%), followed by cars (23.3%), lorries (9.6%) and buses (6.2%).
For non-citizens, cars were the most popular form of transport at 78.3%, followed by motorcycles (12.2%), buses (9.5%) and lorries (0.01%).
Onn Hafiz said there were a total of 38 counters for cars, 50 for motorcycles, 12 for heavy vehicles and 42 automatic and manual counters for buses available at the CIQ BSI.
At the CIQ KSAB, there were 24 car counters, 25 motorcycle counters, 26 bus counters and three heavy vehicle counters.
“In total, 284 exit and entry counters are operating at CIQ BSI and another 169 counters at CIQ KSAB. More manpower has been added to help improve the effectiveness of services in these two CIQs.
“The Immigration Department has stationed 1,631 of its personnel there, while the Customs Department has 722 personnel, followed by 87 personnel from the Road Transport Department and 206 police officers,” he added.
