The ZJB radio news team reported this week, that the Access Division in the Premier’s office, “is moving with the times and will soon have a passport swipe system in place for travellers to and from Montserrat.”
The new system which is expected to be finalised shortly is designed to speed up the processing time at the ferry terminals in Antigua and Montserrat. The system is currently being tested before its full activation later this month.
In an interview with the Government Information Unit, Access Coordinator Ashley Lindsey says the new passport swipe system, just one of the changes being implemented this year, allows for better traffic flow through the terminals.
In an effort aimed at obtaining information on the access arrangements being put in place to accommodate the increased visitor arrivals during the Christmas and Festival periods, Mr Lindsey said that in the past a lot of people did not book online, which meant that they had to be manually checked in by agents. Customarily the December period is considered one of the island’s peeked times for increased travel to and from Montserrat.
Mr Lindsey says, what will happen now is whether one has booked online or not, the system will speed up the check-in process. In addition to the faster check-in times anticipated with the new system, the access coordinator indicates that electronic payments will also be allowed when processing passports with the issue of credit and debit cards.
