Motorcyclists sing praises of MyBorderPass app as they zip into Singapore
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Motorcyclist Daniel Ooi said his experience with the MyBorderPass system to clear immigration has been smooth.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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JOHOR BAHRU – Malaysian motorcyclists who have been using the new MyBorderPass app to commute to Singapore on a regular basis have praised the system.
Motorcyclist Daniel Ooi, 58, who has been travelling to Singapore for work for more than 30 years, said his experience with the MyBorderPass system to clear immigration at the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine building connecting Johor Bahru to Woodlands has been smooth.
“It is also a plus point that this system uses facial recognition. So, if a person has issues with facial recognition, they can still scan the QR code.
“This is surely an improvement from the MBike system we used previously,” he said.
Some have claimed that the registration process for MyBorderPass needs improvement because it is not as user-friendly as the two other QR code apps, MyTrip and MyRentas, used by Malaysian travellers clearing immigration at the Second Link and the Causeway, respectively.
Mr Ooi said many motorists welcome automation at both land checkpoints connected to Singapore to help ease congestion, especially during peak hours in the wee hours of the morning and late evenings.
“We hope they will expand this to all lanes to benefit more people,” he said, noting that with the new system, immigration clearance was completed in seconds.
Mr Ooi added that thousands of motorcyclists suffered with MBike lanes frequently breaking down and the problem lasted for months.
“This resulted in us having to use manual counters to clear immigration, which was time-consuming,” he said, hoping that the government’s new system would not be overloaded when thousands of motorcyclists start using it during peak hours.
Three motorcycle lanes entering and another three exiting Malaysia have the MyBorderPass system installed.
Another motorcyclist K. Siva, 42, said registering for the new system was a bit cumbersome, unlike with the other two applications.
“I just tried registering my car number plate and the system accepted it. So I can register any vehicle to use the system,” he noted, adding that sometimes facial recognition does not work.
He also experienced delays in generating the QR code, especially for those using Singapore telco lines.
“Overall, the system is good because it allows riders to use facial recognition or scan a QR code. Also, during rainy days, I can use the facial recognition system to clear immigration.
“In the past, the MBike system could not detect wet prints when we placed the thumb on the reader,” he said, hoping that the government would select a vendor who could deliver results without frequent delays or failures. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
