These converted wooden buses is what distinguishes Mawlamyine from other towns in Myanmar. They are thought to have been used by the military in World War II and later as trucks carrying timber from the forest in south eastern Mon State to Mawlamyine's ports. Today they ply between one end of Mawlamyine to the other carrying passengers to and from the central market, Zeigyi. As for their official name, they are simply referred to as "ka" (car) and associated with the number of their route. For example, "c'auq ka" is the "number six wooden bus". There are also "tiq ka" (number one) and "k'u-hniq ka" (number seven).

Travelling in a ka is a truely unique experience. Inside the wooden cabin are three rows of benches running parallel to one another where the passengers sit. When fully occupied, 12 people are expected to occupy the outside rows and 10 in the middle row. Further to this, there are anywhere between 5 to 8 men standing at the rear, hanging on to their dear lives with a few more sitting on the roof as well! Many of the ka's I've been on have well maintained engines which pur along as though they had just come out of the manufacturer's showroom yesterday. They are usually Chevrolets, although Ford and Dodge makes are also a plenty. The drivers have this habbit of turning off the engine when travelling down hill and then kick-starting it again when they reach the bottom of the hill; a common measure used by Mawlamyine motorists to save fuel.