Buses link Thai and Cambodian capitals

February 21, 2013
By Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit  
http://www.ttrweekly.com

BANGKOK, 21 February 2013: The Transport Company said, Wednesday, it has launched a daily bus services between Bangkok and Phnom Penh and Siem Reap after delays that prevented the launch late last year.

TTR Weekly reported the company’s decision to start the service last October, but readers, who were keen to use the service, quickly pointed out that the company failed to roll out the service. Company officials at the time told TTR Weekly some legal approvals were lacking on the Cambodian side to ensure the cross-border service could operate.

Crossing the border between the Thai town of Aranyaprathet and Poipet in Cambodia, the bus will now operate twice daily to Siem Reap and daily to Phnom Penh.

The bus to Siem Reap will depart Bangkok’s Northern Bus Terminal at Chatuchak (Morchit) 0600 and 1600. The service will depart from Siem Reap 0600 and 1500. Travel time is roughly seven hours.

To Phnom Penh the bus will depart at 0700 both ways with a travel time of around 11 hours.

The fares are Bt750 (US$25) to Siem Reap and Bt900 (US$30) to Phnom Penh.

The services will use 40-seat air-conditioned buses.

It marks the first public bus service between the two countries and the only alternative to airline services. A rail service has been proposed, but when tracks are completed, possibly by the end of 2013 they will be used for just cargo services.

There are private mini-bus operators based in Poipet that offer services to Siem Reap that connect with similar services between Bangkok and Aranyaprathet. They are mainly used by expatriates working in Bangkok who need to renew visas or cross the border to get a stamp in their passport.

Currently the Transport Company operates regional services to just Laos; the latest being Bangkok-Vientiane and Bangkok-Pakse routes, launched 1 October last year.

Other routes include: Udon Thani-Vientiane; Nong Khai- Vientiane; Ubon Ratchathani-Pakse; Mukdahan-Savannakhet; Khon Kaen- Vientiane; Nakhon Phanom-Thakaek; Chiang Mai-Luang Prabang and Udon Thani-Vang Vieng.