Orders for tuk-tuks decline makers say

Orders for Cambodian moto-remorques, the decorated motorcycle-drawn carriages known as “tuk-tuks”, are drying up as drivers switch to its more nimble and fuel-efficient Indian cousin, a three-wheeled vehicle that shares its name, makers said. Chheang Vanna, who established his remorque assembly workshop in 2006, recalls how he produced and sold an average of 30 moto-remorque carriages a month during his first decade of operation. The number fell to 20 a month in 2015 and 10 a month last year. The slump has not only affected Vanna, but also dampened business at the other estimated 33 moto-remorque assembly workshops in Phnom Penh, as well as eight more in Siem Reap. The owners of these workshops blamed the slump on both the influx of Indian Bajaj tuk-tuks and an oversaturation of Cambodian moto-remorques. While there is no official data on the number of Cambodian-made tuk-tuks in operation, the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), the largest association for Cambodia’s tuk-tuk drivers, claims over 6,000 members in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Top Nimol, owner of EZ Go, which operates a fleet of 60 metered Indian Bajaj tuk-tuks, said their maneuverability and fuel efficiency makes them more ideal for navigating the capital’s increasingly congested streets than Cambodian-made tuk-tuks. (Source: Phnom Penh Post)