Villagers who rely on the Sisophon town bus station for their livelihoods are not happy with the Banteay Meanchey provincial government’s decision to relocate it about 20 kilometres away in Mongkol Borei district’s Bot Trang commune.

According to Rourm Sreypov, a food vendor at the bus station, the cost of transportation to the new site would eat into her profits, while at the current site, “there are sellers and buyers already”.

GST Express Bus employee Ouch Sreynouch said that most bus drivers were also against the move.

“No one will choose [to take] the bus as they will need to use either a moto or tuk-tuk to get to their home,” Sreynouch said.

About 200 taxis, 40 to 50 buses and hundreds of vendors use the bus station daily, according to Seam Sameth, who represents the station’s owner and also opposes the move.

Residents who live around the current bus station’s location have complained about noise and traffic, which were among the reasons for the relocation, according to Ly Sary, deputy provincial governor for Banteay Meanchey.

“I believe it is just a small amount of people who are not happy,” Sary said.