CNI News

27 Dec 2022

Vehicle rental fees for one way trip from Namttaw (Homalin) to Monywa have risen to as much as MMK 2.5 million, according to local residents in Namttaw.

However, rental fees for one way trip from Monywa to Namttaw stand at MMK 900,000, a Namttaw local resident told the CNI.

He told the CNI, "If we charter a private vehicle from Namttaw to Monywa, we have to pay between MMK 2 million and MMK 2.5 million for the one way trip. However, we can hire a vehicle from Monywa to Namttaw at MMK 900,000 for the return trip."

A section of Mahamyaing Road.

The rental fees vary depending on the number of passengers, Ko Htet Aung, an owner of a private vehicle rental service, told the CNI.

He said, "We have to ask for higher rental fees because they are a group of 15 people and we will have to transport some of them to Mandalay. So, we charged them MMK 1.5 million. When we return to Monywa we can transport passengers just for fuel costs. Drivers have to pay money to checkpoints along the road and passengers do not have to pay the money.

With rising rental fees for chartered vehicles, bus fares from Monywa to Namttaw (Homalin) have increased from MMK 30,000 to MMK 90,000 per person.

The Chindwin River connecting Monywa and Namttaw (Homalin).

If local residents choose to travel by ship, it costs MMK 500,000 per person to do so.

There are about 30 checkpoints controlled by Local Defence Forces, People's Defence Force, the Myanmar military and Shanni National Army between Monywa and Namttaw.

As drivers have to pay money at those checkpoints, rental fees for chartered private vehicles have risen, according to drivers.

Travelling between Homalin and lower Myanmar, local residents can also use waterway but it is difficult to use the waterway because of armed conflicts along the river, according to local residents.