JOHOR BARU: Only 20 stage buses from Malaysia will be ferrying passengers to and from Singapore along the Causeway initially when the land border reopens on Friday.

       Handal Indah Sdn Bhd manager Mahathir Anuar said this is because they would need to apply for the public service vehicle licence (PSV) from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority.

       “The application for PSVs will be open on Wednesday (today) and Thursday where, temporarily, we will be using 20 Causeway Link buses also used during the Vaccinated Travel Lane for land crossings (VTL-Land).

       “Once we have acquired more PSV permits, we will then widen it to other Causeway Link buses including using the Second Link besides the Causeway,” he said when contacted here yesterday.

       Mahathir added that prior to the border closure on March 18, 2020, more than 100 Causeway Link buses travelled to and from the island republic on a daily basis.

       All forms of land transport between Malaysia and Singapore are set to resume when the two countries reopen their borders on Friday.

       Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said they include stage, express and tourist buses, as well as employee shuttles and taxis.

       “Beginning April 1, both countries will allow all travellers who have been fully vaccinated to cross the land border without having to undergo quarantine or perform Covid-19 tests, including pre-departure and on-arrival tests.

       “This permission applies to all categories of travellers, and all types of land transport.

       “Therefore, all public transportation operators in (both) countries can start making preparations towards restarting their operations, including renewing all relevant permits or licences, either with the Road Transport Department, the Land Public Transport Agency or with the authorities in Singapore,” he said in a statement.

       Currently, VTL bus services between Malaysia and Singapore operate on a daily quota.

       However, Dr Wee said the full resumption of cross-border transport services is still subject to the operational readiness of the operators involved.

       “The public can check with the relevant operators on the operational status of cross-border services that will be provided,” he said, also reminding all operators of cross-border public transportation to adhere to the existing Covid-19 SOP such as ensuring all passengers do a QR code check-in.

       “Travellers are responsible for ensuring that they have the MySejahtera app on their smartphones, and that they meet the pre-determined travel conditions.