Welcome to my post-series called “Quick review”. These are not as long as regular posts, given that they are very specific and I don’t want to pretend to know more than I do by writing a 3000-word post based on that one time I took that one bus company’s bus. These posts simply express my own opinion based on my limited experience with a company. I hope my experience helps you decide whether or not that specific company is for you! In this “Quick review” I will review Giant Ibis Transport from Cambodia.

Context

My boyfriend Christian and I visited Cambodia in December 2019. During that time we took a Giant Ibis bus three times. Overall we were very satisfied.

1st trip: Day Bus from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia: 9/10

The station: 7/10

The station is near HCMC’s backpacker street. It’s very easy to find. It can be a little confusing since lots of buses leave from the same place. It’s not really a bus terminal, the buses just stop on the street in front of the office and passengers get in.

Customer service: 9/10

There are two attendants in the bus and we were given water bottles. At the border between Vietnam and Cambodia they take all the passports and take care of the visa process for you. This makes crossing the border very easy, but they charge 5 USD for this and you can’t opt out of paying this fee. I felt a little scammed because I probably could have handled it myself. Still, this is a good way to ensure the bus stays on top of its schedule.

Cleanliness: 9/10

There was some dust/dirt here and there but overall very clean.

Comfort: 10/10

The free Wi-Fi which actually worked (well, obviously not for YouTube videos or Netflix but I managed to check my e-mails and social media)! The seats were very comfortable and the border crossing went smoothly.

Safety: 10/10

There were seatbelts and the driver didn’t drive too fast. One of the attendants actually asked us to put our seatbelts on (it’s the only time I’ve come across that in Southeast Asia).

Aircon: 10/10

Surprisingly, the aircon wasn’t too cold! You could adjust it with the overhead panel but we wore t-shirts and were fine.

Bathrooms

There are no bathrooms on Giant Ibis day buses. They know they tend to be gross. There were enough bathroom breaks though.

2nd trip: Day Bus from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville: 8,5/10

The station: 6/10

The station was very basic but there were seats and enough space for everyone. It was relatively clean but there were no restaurants/food stalls/vending machines.

Customer service: 9/10

We were given water bottles and a snack. We used our electronic tickets and boarding went very smoothly.

Cleanliness: 9/10

Nothing outstanding but everything seemed clean.

Comfort: 9/10

The seats were comfortable. On one side of the bus the seats were double seats and on the other they were single seats. That’s good if you don’t want to sit next to a stranger. The roads were not very good, especially approaching Sihanoukville, but that’s not the company’s fault.

Safety: 9/10

There were seatbelts and the driver didn’t drive too fast. Do I have very low standards? Maybe. That’s what happens when you’ve travelled in Southeast Asia for a while.

Aircon: 10/10

We wore T-shirts and didn’t feel cold. You can adjust the aircon with the overhead panel.

Bathrooms

As on the first bus, there were no bathrooms. The bus stopped for several bathroom breaks.

Trip 3: Night Bus from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap: 7,5/10

Station: 1/10

We had a hard time finding the station. Google maps says it’s in one place. Maps.me gave me not one but two different addresses.

In reality, the office was on this street (see map below). I don’t remember the exact address but you should find it without too much trouble. Closer to the beach there is some kind of tourism office – you can ask them for directions if you can’t find the Giant Ibis office.

Once you find the office, they’ll check your tickets and tell you to walk to the roundabout to catch the bus there. This is because the bus doesn’t fit on the street that the office is on. It’s more a consequence of poor urban planning than the bus comany’s fault, but I feel like they could handle the situation differently.

Customer service: 5/10

This one is really a mixed bag. When I called their customer service because we couldn’t find the office, it was very hard to hear and understand what the person was saying. This was annoying and after a minute or two of “I’m sorry I can’t hear you”s they just hung up.

On the other hand, the bus attendants were super nice and genuinely seemed to care about our experience. We also got a bag for our shoes, water bottles, and a snack.

Cleanliness: 9/10

Overall the bus was very clean. We were asked to take our shoes off when entering and were given a plastic bag to put them in. The beds seemed clean and the blankets were in a sealed plastic bag.

Comfort: 8/10

The night buses have bunk beds instead of reclining seats. One side of the bus had double beds while the other had single beds. The beds were honestly not that bad and the pillows and blankets were comfortable.

Beds in the back are next to the bathroom so I suggest avoiding those if you don’t want to be disturbd throughout the night. If you’re in the back you might also feel the bumps in the road more. Upper bunks are less steady than lower bunks, but this is really only a problem on very bumpy roads. Lower bunks are steadier but they’re also unnervingly close to the floor of the bus.

Safety: 10/10

The bus had two drivers and they’re not allowed to go over a certain speed limit. If you’re a solo traveler and don’t want to sleep next to a stranger you can book a single bed (If you want to do this try to book in advance so you’re sure to get what you want). I was very happy with everything.

Sleep quality: 7/10

I don’t usually sleep very well in night buses but this one was fine. The bus stopped in Phnom Penh at around midnight to pick up passengers, but this happened quickly and they tried not to wake us up. We arrived in Siem Reap at six o’clock in the morning, so try to fall asleep early if you’re not a morning person.

Aircon: 9/10

The aircon really wasn’t too bad! There was some tape over the vents, so bring a sweater just in case.

Bathrooms: 9/10

The bathrooms were surprisingly clean. I did wear my flip flops in there though. Remember to take tissues and hand sanitizer just in case!

Conclusion

I would definitely travel with Giant Ibis again. They’re apparently one of the best bus companies of Cambodia and I was lucky enough to have three great experiences with them.

Do you have any questions about the article? Or have you ever traveled with Giant Ibis? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

You can book your tickets through the Giant Ibis Website

For more posts about Cambodia, click here.