ADB trust fund studies electric bus project for Siem Reap

An aerial view of Siem Reap town in Siem Reap province. - PROVINCIAL ADMINISTRATION

PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Penh/Asia News Network): The Siem Reap Provincial Administration and the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA) – a multi-donor trust fund under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – have been meeting to study the feasibility of establishing an electric bus project in Siem Reap town.

The latest meeting, held earlier this month, was attended by provincial deputy governor Pin Prakad and CDIA project manager Kathleen Jovellanos, as well as other relevant experts from the provincial departments.

Prakad said the provincial administration and the General Department of Land Transport agreed to cooperate with CDIA to implement a full study of the project in order to create a smart public transport system with reduced carbon emissions.

However, he said that achieving this goal would require further cooperation from stakeholders.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport recently opened an EV charging kiosk in Siem Reap town, as minister Sun Chanthol urged relevant partners and the private sector to increase the use of EV.

According to the ministry, in the first 10 months of this year, the registration of EVs increased by 11 times compared to the same period in 2021, which showed the government’s high commitment to mainstreaming EV use to reach 40 per cent of all vehicles in Cambodia by 2030 and 70 per cent by 2050.

The minister also confirmed that EV Energy Tech Co Ltd plans to install 20 more EV charging points, while publicly-listed Chinese conglomerate BYD Co Ltd has plans to install 200 more kiosks nationwide.