Tuk tuk, Phnom Penh

With a tuktuk ride you can see more than with spending your time in car or bus. Phnom Penh is a large city and distances are long, but with tuktuk you reach easily your target and have shadow and breezy wind if you are eskimo like I am.

Negotiate the prices, the starting proposal can be like three times more than you should pay. You can take a driver with target or hour based and, for example, I negotiated 3$ for hour with unlimited mileage and time slot. No warranties or insurances so try to be careful (still I think I paid a little bit to much, but the driver was clever than me with the negotiations).

Tuk Tuk's are an easy way to get round. Also cheap.

It seems that they base themselves somewhere, (like outside a certain hotel,) and work from there.

A driver can look for you again once you have used them, which is handy if you want to book in advance, these guys are reliable.

Tuk-tuk can get you anywhere in town with a standard rate of 2USD for short distances only. If you wish to hire the tuk-tuk for a day tour, they have tour packages posted in the vehicle and you can negotiate with the driver too. We hired Mok, the young and funny tuk-tuk driver. At first, he offered us a 20USD for half day tour- Toul Sleng, Killing fields, Royal Palace ,Independence Monument. However, we tried to make a bargain with him since it’ll only be a half day tour and 20USD is too much for us (budget travelers, that’s what we are) . Good thing is we’re able to make it at 15USD… it’s very hard to convince him at first but after quite a long negotiation, we shook hands. We were happy how Mok treated us, he’s very friendly and gave us additional information about the city so we gave him a tip for a job well done.

I would strongly recommend Angkor Best Driver for all your transportation needs in Cambodia. He is based in Siem Reap and is very knowledgeable about the temples at Angkor Wat, but he can also provide transportation to and from and around Phnom Penh or anywhere else in Cambodia. He can be reached at samsavat99@yahoo.com
samsavat168@gmail.com
hand phone +(855) 092 73 03 99
website : www.angkorbestdriver.com
www.siemreaptuktuk.com

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There was no bus in Phnom Penh in 2011. So, you need a tuck-tuck or motorbike to move around, especially going sub-urban of the city like:

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Killing Fields of Choeung EK
Russian Market

You can rent a tuck-tuck for a days or few hours in Phnom Penh:

Up to 12 hours - US$20

Up to 4 hours - US$15

There are motorbikes cruising around the streets in downtown. You can pay them either US$1 or US$2 to any destination within the city.

I have been a tourist and now live in Phnom Penh. Most tourists stop in the city for 2-3 days. Tuk Tuks are a great way to see the sights and get around the city. If you want a smooth, hassle free visit in a place where you have not got the time to get to grips with all the scams and rip offs and need someone who knows the city. A good Tuk Tuk driver, who speaks English, knows the roads, is a tour guide, hotel and restaurant advisor and literally all you need to know to have a safe and good time in the city. This might sound easy, but thousands of Tuk Tuk drivers line the streets of Phnom Penh looking for opportunities, but many of them are straight from the villages have no idea of how to get around the city and you can find yourself more lost with a driver, whom you can't communicate with. When I first started working in PP I discovered Lin. He was so outstanding in his knowledge. I do not even google in PP, I just call Lin, whether is for the best pharmacies, tailors, computer/camera repair or book him for a friend who needs the full tourist treatment. Lin has now trained a team of Tuk Tuk drivers to his high customer service standards, teaches them the knowledge, English and tour guide information. If you want to have an easy time of it in PP, get Lin to pick you up from the air port or bus stop and organise what ever your needs are with him. You will get great service, honest prices, a local friend and you get to support an enterprising young man, whose passion and dedication toward customer service is quite incredible. Lin: Mobile +855 (0) 92346636..............sms him with time and flight details and he will be there to pick you up.

In Phnom Penh, moto-romauks ('tuk-tuks') and cyclos (bicycle rickshaws) offer somewhat safer (though not as safe as a car) alternative to mototaxis.

The Cambodian ‘tuk-tuks’ offer a quieter, more pleasant ride. Tuk-tuks for hire gather in popular tourist areas such as the riverfront and at tourist hotels. $1-$2 for short trips and $10-$15 for the whole day. Prices vary depending on the number of passengers and where you pick up the tuk-tuk. Make sure to keep your bag toward the middle of the tuk-tuk to protect against bag snatching.

Before I start this tip, I would like to say that I don't want any mails or comments from self-righteous people telling me I should appreciate the local customs etc. - I do. The standard modes of transport in Phnom Penh are the tuk-tuk, ubiquitous throughout Southeast Asia, and the motodop. The latter is effectively anyone with a scooter that will transport you round the place for a relatively small amount. There are tuk-tuks and motodops literally everywhere and they are so easy to find. This is where my opening line comes in.

From the minute you leave your hotel in the morning until you return at night you will be constantly assailed by drivers shouting at you, slowing up beside you, sounding their horn at you, waving at you to attract custom. Yes, I know it is a small thing and it really should not irritate me as much as it does. I always try to be polite, but the three or four hundredth (literally) repitition of "No, thank you" really gets on my nerves. For those of you that are going to play the "adopt the local customs" card, I would suggest that I never see a driver shouting at a local person. If a local wants a driver they approach the driver, it is only the traveller that is hassled this way.

Actually, I usually walk everywhere anyway but if you do need to get around, especially to a less frequented area at night, both options are safe, relatively inexpensive and, as discussed, frequent to the point of unavoidability.

A word of warning though, agree the price before you start. I have heard some horror stories of drunk travellers being ripped off for a fortune. As a general rule, at time of writing in early 2010 no journey round the centre should be more than a couple of $US although the price rises slightly at night.

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These motorbikes and carriages have hit Phnom Penh in the past few years and are here to stay.

They come in every shapes and sizes from China, India, Thailand and there are home-grown ones from Siem Reap, Cambodia.

We got one for USD10 for about 6 hours. He brought us from Phnom Penh to the killing fields, S-21, Independence monument, Russian market and Royal Palace.

We saw this Tuk Tuk (TT) Driver on our way to the Sorya Mall by foot. To our surprise, he speaks good English and his price is quite reasonable. We actually did some survey on other Tuk Tuks around our hotel area and they tried to charge us with ridiculous prices. He is kind to inform us not to place our bags unattended inside the TT. As it is quite common here in Phnom Penh that snacth thieves often grab items inside the TT. Name any street name, and he will bring you there without any problem!!

Name of TT Driver: Mr Terry
No. 016-647 864 ; 012-828 945