A car with personalised number plates parked in Phnom Penh. Heng Chivoan
From 2016 up until September of this year, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport registered more than 220,000 special and personalised license plates, contributing more than $82 million to the state coffers.
According to a report by the ministry’s Inter-Ministerial Commission, 225,171 such plates were sold during this period, generating $82,418,125.
As demand has grown, so too have revenues, with over $15 million logged in the first nine months of this year, up 30 per cent over the same period last year.
Koy Sodany – secretary of state at the ministry and chairwoman of its inter-ministerial commission on licence plates – revealed the figures at an October 18 monthly meeting on plate sales.
She said the ministry has been actively promoting the sale of special and personalised plates in order to contribute as much as possible to the national budget.
During the October meeting, officials outlined the commission’s future activities. It is considering a review of pricing but would conduct market research among consumers first.
The commission said it plans an exhibition next year to mark the anniversary of the plates becoming available, noting that it also intends to target large companies and enterprises.
A special plate has Phnom Penh or the name of the province issued in Khmer at the top and in Latin below. The number begins with one class digit, dependent on the type of vehicle, followed by one or two Latin letters and then four digits that can be specified.
A personalised plate has the word “Cambodia” at the top, with one to eight letters and numbers on the next line. It can contain virtually any arrangements of letters and numbers, including people’s names if they so desire.
Institute for Road Safety director Kong Ratanak told The Post that the use of special and personalised number plates has no negative effects. In fact, they made a unique contribution to Cambodia’s identity.
In addition, he said, the use of these plates gives consumers the option of personalising their vehicle. They also generate valuable revenue for the government, as could be seen by the latest figures announced by the ministry.
“Cambodia still faces several traffic safety issues, but it has nothing to do with license plates. Unfortunately, the majority of problems are related to the behaviour of drivers,” he added.
According to the transport ministry, personalised plates are available from as little as 2 million riel, with short or special combinations of letters and numbers increasing in price. The ministry limits the plates to eight letters or digits, but offensive or obscene combinations will not be approved.
