Mauritius to support Seychelles in electric bus implementation plan

Of the 100 electric buses procured from India in five batches, the last of which arrived in April 2026, around 95 per cent are already operational on Mauritian roads, with nearly all the supporting infrastructure now in place.

The Minister of Land Transport, Mr Osman Mahomed, made these remarks yesterday afternoon during a visit to the National Transport Corporation (NTC) depot at La Tour Koenig, alongside the Minister of Transport, Ports and Civil Aviation of the Republic of Seychelles, Ms Véronique Laporte.

The visit marked the commissioning of new electric bus charging infrastructure as part of Seychelles’ project to introduce 250 electric buses over a five-year period. Ms Laporte had previously visited Mauritius in January 2026 to observe the country’s experience in electric mobility deployment. She also expressed interest in Mauritius’ road safety enforcement mechanisms, particularly the penalty point system.

In a statement, Minister Mahomed described the shift from diesel to electric buses as a complete paradigm shift, requiring extensive supporting infrastructure including transformer rooms, charging bases, high-voltage installations and related electrical systems. He noted that the La Tour Koenig depot required a full reorganisation to accommodate the new facilities.

Mr Mahomed recalled that several NTC buses were previously in an advanced state of wear, with some having reached nearly 21 years of service and accumulated mileage exceeding 1.6 million kilometres. Against this backdrop, the introduction of electric buses has significantly strengthened and modernised the public transport fleet.

Providing an overview of operations, the Minister recalled that the La Tour Koenig depot currently manages 45 electric buses serving 13 routes and equipped with nine charging stations. The Remy Ollier depot operates 20 electric buses across 10 routes with two charging points, while the Forest Side depot, currently under construction, is designed to accommodate 19 buses serving six routes with nine charging stations. The Rivière du Rempart depot operates nine electric buses on four routes.

He further pointed out that the Government of India also supplied charging infrastructure alongside the buses, facilitating NTC’s ongoing hybrid operation of both electric and diesel fleets during the transition period. Minister Mahomed added that Mauritius remains ready to extend technical assistance and share its experience with Seychelles as it implements its own electric bus plan.

For her part, Ms Laporte stated that her visit to the NTC depot at La Tour Koenig was highly fruitful, as it provided valuable insight into Mauritius’ electric bus programme and supporting infrastructure. She noted that the exchange of experience was important as Seychelles is also developing its electric mobility system in partnership with India and strengthening its public transport services. She further underlined the importance of improving efficiency, comfort, and reliability in public transport, while encouraging continued cooperation and technical exchange between the two countries to support the transition to cleaner mobility.

10 June 2026

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Topics: Transportation, Transport