QR code to replace MBike system

JOHOR BARU: The MBike system, utilised to give immigration clearance for motorcyclists at the two land checkpoints with Singapore, will be replaced with a QR code system beginning June 1, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

The Deputy Prime Minister said a three-month proof-of-concept (POC) period has been set for the implementation of the QR code system.

“This new system will replace the MBike system that was previously used at the two CIQs,” he told a press conference after chairing a special inter-agency meeting on the Johor Causeway congestion issue at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) yesterday.

Asked if the replacement, just three months after the change in vendor for the MBike system, would cause the federal government to suffer losses, he said that it would not.

“They (the vendor) focus on maintenance and we already have the new system,” he said.

The Star had earlier reported that the MBike system had been down since March due to the change of vendor, affecting some 40,000 Malaysians using the system to commute daily to Singapore.

The MBike system was introduced eight years ago to help reduce the gridlock at both the land checkpoints with Singapore.

On March 1, the federal government decided to replace the original vendor of the project who, in 2016, custom-built the entire system for the Immigration Department.

This resulted in the department ditching the MBike system at both land checkpoints at the Causeway and Second Link to revert to the manual system of checking passports, leading to congestion in the motorcycle lanes during the daily peak hours.Explaining further on the QR code system, Fadillah said only Malaysians will be involved in the three-month POC period at the BSI CIQ and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) CIQ.

“Malaysians who are crossing the border through the two land checkpoints will have to download the mobile application so that they could use the new QR code system.

“We will begin with buses and MBike users during the POC period before expanding it to other vehicles in the next phase,” he said, adding that manual counters would still be available.

The Deputy Prime Minister said users could opt to either use the MySejahtera app or download the MyTrip and MyDigital ID mobile app.

“Once the immigration clearance improves, the bottleneck will be on those waiting to use buses.

“As such, we have formed a technical committee to address this issue to reduce congestion involving buses,” he said.

In a statement issued later, Fadillah said waiting time for buses could be reduced by 83% at the BSI and 74% at the KSAB.

“For motorcycles, waiting time will drop by 19% at the BSI and 23% at the KSAB,” he said.