Manama: A spokesperson for the Saudi passports department at King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain has dismissed reports that the application of the fingerprinting processing at the border had caused heavy congestion.

“There is no truth to the claim that the Saudis have started applying the fingerprint process to all travellers using the causeway,” the spokesperson said. “There has been no change to the rules and applications being applied throughout the years,” he was quoted by Saudi daily Okaz as saying.

Reports emerged last week that Saudi Arabia was asking all travellers leaving or arriving in the kingdom to have their fingerprints biometrically scanned, causing long queues and delays at the kingdom’s borders, mainly with Bahrain and Kuwait.

The spokesperson, who was not identified by the Saudi daily, said that the fingerprint scanning had always existed, but was applied only in specific cases.

“The crossing of the causeway is as smooth as ever and there are no obstacles. Rush hours as usual witness heavy congestion because of the high numbers of cars and travellers, and the time it takes to process their documents is short when you take the rush into consideration,” he said.

The 25-kilometre causeway, Bahrain’s only terrestrial link with a neighbouring country, was opened on November 26, 1986 by the late king Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and the late emir Shaikh Eisa Bin Salman Al Khalifa.

According to official figures, 281,755,297 people have used the causeway since it was opened until the end of 2014, an average of 26,618 travellers a day.

The number of vehicles for the same period was 112,863,043, representing an average of 10,663 a day and making it one of the busiest traffic areas between Arab countries.

Last week, more than 105,000 people crossed the King Fahd Causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on one day, setting a new record.

Officials in Bahrain said that 105,182 travellers used the causeway on Sunday, the highest one-day figure since the terrestrial ink was opened.

The number of travelers during the September 21-28 week reached 514,773, Bahrain said.

The figures coincided with the Eid Al Adha holidays.

The authorities ensured all lanes were opened and increased the staff to speed up clearance procedures and facilitate the smooth flow of traffic.

The causeway has been a crucial factor in the increase of the numbers of people arriving in Bahrain, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, and of Bahrain-based people traveling beyond the island kingdom.

In 2014, Saudi cars totaled 3,546,557, compared with 1,058,279 from Bahrain, while 197,135 cars were from other countries.

However, the numbers of passengers from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were almost equal, with 11,015,552 travellers from Bahrain and 11,335,525 from Saudi Arabia.

Around 5,000 employees work in three shifts on the link.

Drivers who use the causeway pay a BD2 (about Dh20) or a SR20 fee, but no charges are imposed on passengers, regardless of their numbers.

Authorities in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have issued statements about increasing the number of lanes for cars, buses and trucks to help deal with traffic congestion, particularly during the weekends and holidays.

Several Saudi-based Saudi nationals and foreigners who work or study in Bahrain commute daily while a large number of Bahrain-based expatriates and Bahrainis use the causeway daily to go to their work or universities.

Strong family links between Gulf citizens are a significant factor in the exchange of visits over the causeway.

Movie theatres screening the latest movies and shopping complexes are considered among the top reasons for trips by Saudi families or Saudi Arabia-based foreigners to Manama.

The causeway is also used by trucks, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, heading towards Bahrain.

Queues of long vehicles are often seen at the entrance or exit of the causeway.