By BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA
Taxi-Meter, which its transport service usually used in developed countries, are now in Cambodia early this month which introduced by the Global (Cambodia) Trade Development Co., Ltd.
It is the first time for Cambodia to have taxi-meter, Lim Sovann, Executive Director of the Global (Cambodia) Trade Development Co., Ltd.
Sovann said the main purpose of his company establishing and serving the Taxi-Meter Service is to offer comfortable and safe transportation services for tourists as well as Cambodian people. And it is also to offer the job opportunity for Cambodian people and to help develop Cambodia.
He told the Cambodia Weekly on July 8 that the Global (Cambodia) Trade Development Co., Ltd. has invested about US $1.7 millions on the Taxi-Meter Business in Cambodia.
He said in order to operate this transport service, currently, so far his company has trained at least 40 Cambodian drivers on driving skills and on how to use the Taxi-Meter services. According to Sovann, Global (Cambodia) Trade Development Co., Ltd. also planned to train and hire at least other 100 local drivers for the Taxi-Meter Services in 2009.
“Nowadays, we have already prepared the transporting services and trained 40 local drivers. We have also imported a total of 12 new Mitsubishi Cars from China for its first operating phase which will be started the services on July 11, 2008 in Phnom Penh,” he said. “We planned that two weeks after the trial services, we will try to issue up to 60 Taxi-Meter this year to serve customers in Phnom Penh.”
He pointed out that for the first operating phase, the Taxi-Meter Services, which has insurances and serves 24 hours per day, would run in Phnom Penh only. And the taxi fee is 4,000 riel (about US $1) per two kilometers.
In the future, he said the company would continue expanding Taxi-Meter Services in Sihanoukville and Siem Reap province. And with these expanding services, the company would use at least 100 cars.
Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh Municipality Governor, said Phnom Penh Municipality was appreciated with the Global (Cambodia) Trade Development Co., Ltd.’s Taxi- Meter services in introducing and providing the international standard services of transportation for people in Phnom Penh.
The Governor told the Cambodia Weekly by telephone on July 9 that, “Based on the nonstop progress and development in Phnom Penh currently, I think that it is a right time to use this kind of Taxi Services which is an international standard service in Phnom Pen.”
“This Taxi-Meter Service will offer the easiness, safety and confidence for Cambodian people on transportations especially foreign tourists who visiting Phnom Penh. It also could help the Phnom Penh Municipality increase the current developments and progresses in Phnom Penh,” he said.
Seng Dina, 54, an official working at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, also expressed his appreciation that, “I am happy to know that there is a Taxi-Meter Service is now available in Phnom Penh. I hope that from now on, there will no more problems happening for the passengers especially the international visitors on pricing demands of private taxi drivers in Phnom Penh.”
Baku Matsu, 31, a Japanese tourist said that her friends and she had visited Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville in Cambodia for several times since 1998.
She said, “I noted that nowadays it is difficult to get a taxi in Phnom Penh because there is no a fixed price or international standard price for passengers. Now, the taxis prices are up to taxis drivers’ sayings.”
“However, I think that it is good that there is the Taxi-Meter Service now is available in Phnom Penh,” she added.
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