Cambodia’s female tuk-tuk drivers on the road to equality
In the sweltering heart of Cambodia, there’s nothing quite like the relief of a cool towel handed by my tuk-tuk driver as we journey between the timeless temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Bayon in Siem Reap.
My driver for the day is Theary Lay, a single mother of two, who is one of the 24 women drivers working for Driver Srey, a tuk-tuk tour company founded by local Cambodian woman Khoy Prokrotey in 2017.
Khoy — wearing a cap adorned with Australian wildlife — makes a surprise visit to Porch, the cafe where we are lunching with our drivers during today’s busy temple tour.
Camera IconKhoy Prokrotey. Credit: Penny Thomas
“I wanted to meet you because I love Aussie travellers,” Khoy says.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was tough, but it’s exciting to see foreign tourists, especially Australians, returning to Cambodia.”
Khoy’s career in ecotourism and community-based initiatives led her to establish Driver Srey, after she saw the economic struggles many divorced and widowed women in Cambodia face.
“We’re a not-for-profit organisation that helps keep vulnerable women — many of whom are divorced or widowed — employed,” she says.
“When tourists come to Siem Reap, they want to have fun, be safe and feel comfortable — having a female driver makes that more possible.
Listening to Khoy speak, there is clearly a demand for Driver Srey’s services.
“We’ve grown from four to 24 female drivers in just a few years,” she explains. “What we’re doing not only gets women back into the workforce but also makes travellers feel safe when visiting Cambodia.”
When asked about the male tuk-tuk drivers’ reaction to the growing female cohort, Khoy says they were initially surprised to see women on the road, but they are getting used to it now.
“We didn’t establish Driver Srey to discriminate against male drivers,” she adds. “When our female drivers are busy, we have four or five male drivers as backups.”
Camera IconTheary Lay is a single mother who has been driving tuk-tuks for the past two years Credit: Penny Thomas
Following on from the conversation with Khoy, I hop into the back of Theary’s tuk-tuk to continue today’s tour and I’m given another cool towel and ice-cold water bottle for our journey to Ta Prohm.
During the drive, we get chatting and Theary shares her story with me.
Turns out, she began driving for Driver Srey two years ago, after her husband passed away, leaving her as the sole provider for her children.
“I am both the father and the mother to my children now,” Theary says. “If I wasn’t driving the tuk-tuk, I wouldn’t have enough money to feed my children.”
It’s a statement that underscores the vital work organisations like Driver Srey are doing. Not only are they helping support disadvantaged women but it also normalises the presence of women in the workforce for the younger generation growing up in Cambodia today.
Penny Thomas was a guest of Intrepid Travel. They have not influenced or seen this story before publication.
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