Tuk-tuk makers feel slowdown

When Chheang Vanna established his remorque assembly workshop in 2006, his main concern was meeting his customers’ deadlines to supply the metal-and-wood carriages amid feverish demand. Cambodia’s tourism sector was taking off, and orders for moto-remorques – the Kingdom’s unique take on cheap motorised passenger transport – were booming.

But now, as his business enters its 11th year, Vanna is facing a formidable challenge. Orders for Cambodian moto-remorques, the decorated motorcycle-drawn carriages affectionately 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.

Speaking at his small workshop in the capital’s Meanchey district, Vanna recalls how he produced and sold an average of 30 moto-remorque carriages a month during his first decade of operation. In 2015 the number fell to 20, and since last year he has been lucky to sell 10 carriages a month.

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