Johor polls: Malaysian border control agency activates maximum‑capacity operations at BSI, KSAB for returning voters

JOHOR BAHRU, July 8 — The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) will operate at maximum capacity at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) to facilitate the return of voters from Singapore for the 16th Johor state election this Saturday (July 11).

Its director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the initiative includes opening dedicated lanes, activating hybrid counters and implementing contra-flow lanes to ensure smooth traffic flow and traveller movement at the country’s two main land entry points.

He said the maximum-capacity operations will begin on Friday, with a focus on the arrival zones, which are expected to see an increase in travellers ahead of polling day.

“At BSI, the measures include opening dedicated lanes, with 38 inbound counters at the car zone, as well as the full operation of 35 e-gates, two quick response (QR) code counters and 18 manual counters throughout the period.

“At KSAB, 24 counters will be opened at the car zone, while between 18 and 24 e-gate and manual counters will be operational at the bus zone,” he told Bernama here today.

Mohd Shuhaily said the dedicated lanes will operate round the clock on Friday, while on polling day on Saturday, they will be open from 12.01 am until 6 pm.

To minimise the impact of congestion, he said hybrid counters and contra-flow lanes will be activated if there is an unusually high volume of traffic during peak periods, particularly on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

“Based on our experience during the 2022 Johor state election, we expect only a slight increase in cross-border traffic, as the majority of Johoreans working in Singapore are daily commuters. However, they are expected to start returning as early as Friday.

“If there is extraordinary congestion at the BSI bus hall, contingency measures, including the activation of contra-flow lanes, will be implemented to allow an additional eight manual counters and six autogates to be opened,” he said.

He added that if the passenger hall reaches capacity, AKPS is also prepared to open the Golden Service counter area at the bus lanes to segregate certain categories of travellers based on operational requirements.

“Each passenger hall at BSI is designed to accommodate about 1,500 people at any one time, whether for arrivals or departures.

“However, BSI has previously handled around 5,500 people at one time, and with the existing autogates and manual counters, its inspection capacity can reach up to 6,400 people per hour,” he said.

He added that AKPS is also working with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA) at KSAB to ensure the smooth flow of public and factory buses, ease traffic congestion and manage passenger movement.

“AKPS has also ordered that all system upgrades, scheduled maintenance, and preventive works involving its systems, network and hardware be postponed on July 10 and 11 to facilitate the Johor state election process,” he said.

Mohd said that AKPS has also held coordination sessions with Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) at the Woodlands Checkpoint to ensure immigration clearance operations on both sides of the border are carried out in an orderly manner.

He said AKPS data for the January-May 2026 period showed that BSI recorded between 300,000 and 350,000 traveller movements daily, with Malaysians accounting for 67 per cent of the total, followed by Singaporeans at 29.5 per cent, while the remainder comprised other foreign nationals.

“The experience gained from managing operations during this state election will serve as a reference for planning future operations at the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which is expected to become the preferred mode of transport for voters,” he said.

The public has been advised to plan their journeys in advance and follow regular updates on the situation at the BSI and KSAB border checkpoints via the official Facebook pages of the AKPS Corporate and Communications Unit to help them better plan their travel.

The Johor state election will see 172 candidates contesting 56 state assembly seats, with polling scheduled for this Saturday.

For the latest news on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/. — Bernama