One week into the monthlong Phnom Penh City Shuttle bus experiment, ridership has dropped a bit but continues to be strong, according to Tatsuyuki Sakurai of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The 22 buses carried an average of 5,000 passengers daily the first five days of the experiment, when the fare was an introductory 500 riel per ride, he said.
At that rate, each bus earned about $28 for its day’s work; the total for all buses was $625.
On Day 6, when the fare rose to 800 riel, ridership dropped to 3,600, dipping over the weekend to 3,300. But at the higher rate, each bus earned between $30 and nearly $33 per day, for a system-wide total of between $660 and $720.
Tatsuyuki Sakurai would not say how many riders will spell success for the JICA experiment, but he joked that engineers are laying bets on the daily ridership.
Engineers cannot say what the break-even point for a commercial bus system would be, since they rent the buses from private companies and don’t know what the operating costs are.
Planners had hoped ridership would be as high as 8,300 per day during the first five days, dropping to 4,500 once the fare increased. “But that was a very, very optimistic projection, if everything had gone perfectly,” Sakurai said.
There have been some complaints from riders, notably a lack of shelter at bus stops to ward off sun and rain. Some foreigners have also complained of rowdy students who eat on the bus.
But most people seem to like the system, and have mastered the intricacies of asking for transfers from one line to another. Parents in particular say they appreciate how much safer the bus is for their children, compared to motorbike taxis, the engineers say.
Line 1 runs up and down Monivong Boulevard from Chbar Ampao to Prek Leap, while Line 2 circles clockwise around downtown on Norodom, Sihanouk, Nehru and Kampuchea Krom boulevards.
Line 2 posted the highest ridership on the first two days of the experiment, attracting mainly students and shoppers. The line passes near Psar Thmei, Psar Olympic and Psar Depot as well as many schools.
Line 1 is more of a commuters’ line, carrying greater numbers of passengers during morning and evening rush hours, when buses run every six minutes. It is attracting more riders as the experiment continues, while Line 2 ridership has leveled off.
A few things aren’t working out as planned. Cycle traffic was supposed to be banned from Monivong Boulevard between Sihanouk and Kampuchea Krom, but the ban has not been well enforced.
That same stretch of road—the busiest in the city—is also disrupted by a major water project, as workers rush to lay water pipe before the heavy rains arrive.
But neither factor has been a big problem, engineers say. Buses on the Monivong line are actually averaging slightly higher speeds than expected, despite the congestion.
Passengers are being surveyed to see what changes they would like to see, but planners say it is already clear that 800 riel is a bit more than students want to pay.
Beginning Sunday, the buses will display student-drawn traffic safety posters for the next 10 days, and the student artists will ride for free in hopes they will encourage their friends to use the system.
The one-month experiment is designed to test the market for mass transit in Phnom Penh in the hopes of averting Bangkok-style traffic gridlock.
Without intervention, the current chaotic mix of bicycles, motorcycles, cars and trucks is expected to slow city traffic to a polluted crawl as more Cambodians can afford motorized transport.
