Thumbs down for thumbprint scans

Foreign drivers say the move will worsen traffic congestion at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints during morning and evening rush hour.

JOHOR BARU: Singapore’s move to get foreign drivers to scan their thumbprints at the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints have been given the “thumbs down” by the public.

The move, they claim, will worsen traffic congestion at both the checkpoints, especially during morning and evening rush hours.

Some said Singapore should use a wireless device instead of a biometrics machine so passengers would not have to leave their cars to scan their thumbprints.

Tan, a regular traveller who drives to the island republic for work, said the procedure at the Second Link started two weeks ago.

“If they implement this for everyone in the car, it is going to add more time at the immigration counters,” he said.

Tan added that there could also be technical issues if a thumbprint was not clear.

“If they use this system, they should do away with the manual stamping of the passport and instead scan and match them. They can use a wireless device for this,” he said.

Businessman N. Jegathisan said the move was a huge inconvenience for passengers.

“The lanes at the Singapore CIQ are so narrow. Imagine the crowds waiting at the immigration booths,” he said.

Malaysian Indian Commerce Association (MICA) president P. Sivakumar hoped that Singapore would follow Malaysia by doing away with the Immigration disembarkation cards.

“They should just scan the passports,” he said, adding that clearance at the CIQs of both countries should be improved due to the worsening traffic situation on both sides.

He added that the high toll and road charges on both sides of the Causeway were a huge burden to the public.

On Monday, Singapore announced that people arriving and departing through the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints by car will soon need to have their thumbprints scanned at immigration counters.

The BioScreen system, launched in April last year, scans thumbprints of visitors arriving at and departing from Singapore’s checkpoints.

Unpopular convenience: While these self-clearance immigration gates quicken immigration clearances in theory, many travellers claim the potential shortfalls will only worsen travel times.