Free New Year public buses a great success

Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Keut Chhe said yesterday the city deployed a total of 395 vehicles to transport 83,833 people.

He said that on the first day of the holiday on Friday, 16,836 people rode the buses; on Saturday, 15,741; on Sunday, 5,198; on Tuesday, 10,794; and on Wednesday, 16,593.

He said that over six days in Phnom Penh 60 buses were deployed, carrying 12,979 people around the city.

He noted that this year the number of people using the free buses rose compared to last year, when 56,000 people took advantage of the free rides.

Chhe added that this year, people were happy to travel by public bus because the city added extra buses and provided free drinking water to travellers.

Khoeun Phearum, 48, and a resident of Kampong Speu province said that this year he was happy to take the free bus.

He noticed that travelling by bus felt safer than travelling by private car because the bus drivers drove cautiously.

Phearum added that the free bus saved him time and the cost of paying for taxis.

“In 2022, I took a taxi car from Phnom Penh to Kampong Speu and back for $10 to $20, and I had to wait two to three hours to get home,” he said.

Mech Sokkha, 36, a construction worker in Phnom Penh, took a free bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh. He said in the past each taxi trip home was expensive, ranging from $20 to $30.

“The taxi fare is a lot. If we give this money to our parents, it is better,” he said.

He also thanked the government for providing the free buses, and he suggested that free buses should be available to people whenever there is a major public holiday like Pchum Ben or KNY.

In March, Prime Minister Hun Manet instructed Phnom Penh municipal authorities to arrange free bus transportation to help people reach their hometowns, and to distribute bottled water at no cost during the Khmer New Year holiday.