Test Drive Begins for New City Bus Service
Ten buses set off Wednesday morning along Monivong Boulevard in Phnom Penh on a month-long test-run to determine if the public is ready to jettison their motorbikes and luxury cars and hop on board mass transport. This is the second attempt by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the municipal authorities to address traffic congestion by establishing a public bus service, following a two-month trial in 2001 that was terminated due to public indifference. … At the start point, Phnom Penh Governor Pa Socheatavong told the crowd of about 100 mostly local government officials, with a smattering of curious onlookers, that City Hall was determined to ensure the success of the city bus service this time around. “If there is only a trial and the operation is then ended, it will have been meaningless,” he said, adding that the 36-stop trial route from the “Old Stadium” roundabout to Chbar Ampov across the Monivong Bridge is just one of five planned routes in the city. “More than $300 million is lost annually due to traffic accidents in [Cambodia], which is devastating and a tragedy for our city…so I appeal to people to start changing their attitudes and support this project,” he said to launch the bus service. …
Hul Reaksmey and Simon Henderson
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/test-drive-begins-for-new-city-bus-service-51538/
