The first electric bus of the National Transport Corporation (NTC), a 20-seater purchased from Leal Energie Ltd, will hit the roads soon.
Launching the bus, PM Pravind Jugnauth said the purchase by the NTC is in line with the Government’s policy to encourage the use of renewable and clean energy so as to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, and to achieve 60% of green energy in our energy mix by 2030.
The NTC is the largest bus company in Mauritius, with an operational fleet of 513 buses and operating on 97 routes with a manpower of 2,200 employees. The Corporation has an average daily ridership of 130,000 passengers, performing over 1 million trips yearly and covering an annual average distance of 27 million kms.
This first electric bus will be used to test the operational capability and reliability of electric bus on the NTC route network, to acquire knowledge on operational and maintenance infrastructural requirements, battery charging needs and driving skill requirement before investing in more electric buses for the future.
The Prime Minister spoke of the implementation of a 10-year Roadmap for the integration of electric vehicles of the public and private sectors in Mauritius. As part of its fleet renewal plan, the NTC intends to replace 234 buses this year, as well as gearing towards a shift from conventional diesel-powered buses to electric vehicles.
