|
|
|
|
|
|
Phnom
Penh (Ah!) Travel Tips - Faces & Places - October 2004
Monday October 4, 2004 Ho Wah Genting Cambodia's Public Bus Service - IOM's John McGeoghan Accompanies Montagards To USA - Surviving & Thriving In Phnom Penh Seminar - Mekong Express Bus Commences Travel To Battambang - No Charge For Visa Cash Advance At UCB Bank HO WAH GENTING TRANSPORT SERVES CAMBODIA In Cambodia's road to recovery one of the keys in that transition is its transportation system. Ho Wah Genting Transport took on that task in September 1996 when the Malaysian managed company took over the Municipality bus lines. Vice Chairman Teo Siew Chong has been in charge since the company began. Management had to be put in place. Thirty startup staff were hired. Transporting [passengers to and from work and schools was the central aim. As in any business there were obstacles along the way. "The biggest obstacle at the time was the roads that were being built weren't ready yet," Chong said. With US$3 million startup capitol new equipment was ordered. Operating costs were US$30,000 a month. HWG purchased 15 new 50-seat busses to service Kampong Cham, Takhmau, Udong and Koki. The pivotal year for the company was 1997. Twenty buses were added to the fleet. The government awarded HWG an intercity license. They remain the only company in Cambodia with licenses to service Phnom Penh and the provinces. After the civil unrest in the country quieted down July 1997 the company added fifteen busses to the fleet to accommodate government agreements. The business wasn't there… the agreement was. HWG began service to a tourist favorite, the beach town of Sihanoukville in 1998. Chong recognized the value for the service. A good road factored into the decision. GST was the only competitor on the route at that time. In 1998 Chong recognized that more tourists were using Ho Wah Genting's service. Chong estimates that 90% of HWG's customers are locals and 10% tourists. At the beginning of 1998 business was slow. It picked up after the road to Kampong Cham was completed and more people became aware the companies services. "Then the government was formed and the country became more stable after the elections of August 1998," Chong said. Good roads are mare major factor in HWG's expansion decision making. At present five big busses are ready for delivery. The company is waiting for the road to Siem Reap to be completed before putting the busses in service When the section of the road Siem Reap/Poipet is completed the company will provide service to Poipet. The rationale being why tear up a new bus on a bad road?
Service to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam was added in 2001. Public interest in using the service resulted in the schedule being expanded from three times a week to daily. For travelers the best news is that the ticket now cost $9 a trip down from $16 in 2001. Service to Battambang began in 2003. Competition has helped drive the price of a ticket down with seven long distance bus companies now in the business. The cost of petrol has doubled rising from 27 US cents a liter in 1996/97 to 54 cents per liter now. The operation budget has risen from US$30,000 monthly in 96/97 to US$80,000 now. HWG currently has 200 staff up from the 30 original hires. At present HWG have 55 buses in service. The company will be renamed Phnom Penh Public Transport Company this year. The price of petrol and good roads will be a major player in the development of Cambodia's future…. and so will Ho Wah Genting… here to serve the public. IOM's MC GOEGHAN TO ACCOMPANY 40 MONTAGNARDS TO USA IOM's (International Organization for Migration) Cambodia project coordinator John McGoeghan will accompany 40 Montagnards from the Vietnam highlands to the USA tomorrow (Tuesday October 5th) for relocation. They will be received by a Montagnard community in Greensboro, North Carolina. McGeoghan said the Montagnard community has existed in Greensboro since the 1960's where they have a community center and other facilities to assist the group's transition. SURVIVING PHNOM PENH SEMINAR A group has been formed to assist foreigners moving to Phnom Penh. Longtime expat Phnom Penh residents share information and experiences with attendees. They inform new residents how to find employees, banking procedures, obtain a drivers license and information regarding the culture of Cambodia. The International Fellowship Church sponsors the group. They plan to have seminars three or four times a year. For further information contact: debbiemaher@online.com.kh MEKONG EXPRESS BUS COMMENCES SERVICE TO BATTAMBANG The Mekong Express will begin service to Battambang Friday October 8th. The Mekong Express office is opposite where the boat to Siem Reap departs on Sisowath Quay - Tel: 023-427-518 UCB BANK VISA CASH ADVANCE WITH NO CHARGES They say nothing in life is free. With that said, believe it or not the Union Commercial Bank (UCB) makes Visa cash withdraw transactions with no surcharge. You are charged by your bank for their fees. The bank has branches in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Battambang. ARCHITECTURE TOURS IN PHNOM PENH We have written in the past that after seeing the Royal Palace and the monuments to death the Toul Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields there is not much to do in Phnom Penh. Now there is a new alternative. An architecture tour company Khmer Architecture Tours has been organized to show tourists modern buildings that are usually not accessible to the public. Two tours are planned for the last two weekends of every month. For more information and reservations contact: www.ka-tours.org © Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com |
|
