A dispute is brewing between Phnom Penh Governor Chea Sophara and the Ministry of Public Works over who has the right to transport people between the northern provinces, a market outside Phnom Penh and into the city.
Passengers used to have a choice: they could take a bus all the way from the city to the provinces, or they could take a taxi. Currently, the Ho Wah Genting Transport Company holds the bus license for that route.
But Chea Sophara wants to change that, in hopes of reducing crowding in Phnom Penh and encouraging people to utilize the little-known market at Prek Leap, just north of the city.
On Monday, he said Ho Wah can only bus passengers from Phnom Penh to Prek Leap and back. Earlier, he had said that taxis can only travel from Prek Leap out to the provinces and back, and are no longer allowed to enter the city from the north.
That means passengers who wish to travel to the northern provinces must take a bus to Prek Leap and then switch to a taxi; passengers heading south to the city will have to switch from taxi to bus at the market.
But neither the bus company nor taxi drivers are happy with the plan, saying they will lose money.
The Ministry of Public Works, which issued Ho Wah’s license, is ignoring Chea Sophara’s order, saying the governor has overstepped his jurisdiction and that buses will continue to run to the provinces.
Ahmad Yahya, secretary of state for the Ministry of Public Works, said the municipality is responsible only for transportation within the city while the ministry is responsible for transportation in the provinces.
However, Chea Sophara said his decision is a fair one. “There is no other way to do it,” he said. “If we follow the ministry license, our taxi drivers will have a difficult time earning a living.”
Tan Thong, manager of the Prek Leap market, supports Chea Sophara’s idea, saying “Ho Wah will never lose money, because it can make 40 to 50 trips from Phnom Penh to Preak Leap” each day.
