The NTC embarking on a new journey

The Minister of Public Infrastructure, Nandcoomar Bodha, inaugurated the Corporate Office of the National Transport Corporation at the NG Tower, Wall Street, Cybercity, Ebène on Wednesday 15th November at 6pm. On the same occasion, the new visual identity of the NTC was unveiled.

In his inaugural speech, the Minister highlighted that the NTC will be the backbone of national public transport in Mauritius and that the opening of the corporate office marks a decisive milestone in the history of the NTC. He also stressed that no worker will be laid off with the Metro Express getting into operation.

Hoolass Lochee, the general manager of the Corporation, told guests present that “the opening of the corporate office constitutes a landmark in our endeavour to build a new NTC: that for several months, the management tried to find means and ways to give a new impetus to the NTC.”

“Revamping the National Transport Corporation was indeed a tall order because the challenges were and still are numerous and the means are quite limited,” he emphasised.

“Several bold decisions were already taken before my arrival, for instance, it is an undeniable fact that the purchase of hundred semi-low floor buses not only helped to boost our operations but it also improved the image of the NTC as the number one in the public transport sector.”

Ashwin Gokhool, The Chairman of the NTC, for his part, said that the Corporation has “carved out a niche for itself in the public transport system, (it is currently the number one in the country in terms of the number of routes serviced and the total fleet capacity), the organization required a restructuration that would enable it to face the new challenges ahead.

We had to face the challenge of turning around a para-statal body which is labour intensive and which has the difficult task of operating on routes that are not always commercially viable. In clear, we had to reconcile the commercial ambitions of the organization with its social missions. But more importantly, we took the commitment to give the management of the NTC the means to considerably improve our services to our valued passengers.

No organization can remain static, especially if it operates in a dynamic sector like public transport. The NTC is no exception. We took a number of decisions which have already started to give positive outcomes. For instance, we invested in training of our bus crews and middle management. The objectives of this training, the first of its kind at the NTC, were to equip our drivers with the best driving techniques which would usher in safe and comfortable journeys and at the same time reduce our fuel consumption.   

Training constitutes one of the main components to empower our human resources. We strongly believe in continuous training and re-skilling. With this objective in mind, the NTC will soon recruit a Training Coordinator who will identify the needs and requirements and devise programs for the benefit of employees and the organization.

We still have a busy agenda ahead, especially in the context of the changing landscape of public transport. The advent of Metro Express constitutes yet another challenge for at least three major operators in the public transport sector, namely the NTC, UBS and RHT. The NTC is ready to take the challenge to reinvent itself and to adapt to the fundamental changes in the public transport sector. We are already working on rerouting and its various technical implications.

The Chinese Government is donating 28 new semi-low floor buses to the NTC. This will enable us to further enhance our operations. Additionally, in line with our commitment to innovate, we will soon acquire hybrid buses on a pilot project.

We are convinced that with such a strong Action Plan and with the commitment of the management, the employees, the trade unions, our valued partners and our highly esteemed passengers, we will head towards resounding success.”

THE NTC AT CROSSROADS

The Corporation is now at a crossroad, its continued existence and progress very much lie in an appropriate strategic planning to properly manage its growth in activities and to gear it to face the new challenges.

A constantly improving service has to be provided to the travelling public which has higher aspirations, despite ever increasing costs. To achieve this objective, it is imperative for the NTC to upgrade and benchmark its services by: Creating a conducive working environment i.e. truly customer focus with more effective and efficient use of crews and buses.

Rationalisation of operations

In order to give a more efficient service to bus passengers, the NTC has decided on the following measures:

• Strengthening traffic planning, operations control and monitoring services through the OPS Room.

• Training programme to all employees from Management level to operating crews.

In order to sustain in today’s highly competitive environment, the NTC has no other alternative than to develop a new service culture, have a dedicated and well trained workforce and keep pace with time to remain at the forefront of the transport sector in Mauritius.

Historic Facts about the Corporation

The National Transport Corporation Act was voted in Parliament on 25 July 1979. The NTC began its operation on 12th March 1980 with a fleet of 286 buses acquired from the defunct Vacoas Transport Company Limited.

After taking over the assets of the defunct Vacoas Transport Co Ltd, the NTC has grown into a major player in the public transportation sector.
Today, the NTC employs 2,300 persons. It has a fleet of 556 buses and operates 92 routes covering about a third of the bus network of the island.  NTC has five depots, namely Rémy Ollier Depot, La Tour Koenig Depot, Rivière du Rempart Depot, Forest Side Depot and Souillac Depot. 

On a daily basis, 85% of the NTC fleet is on road conveying around 140,000 to 150,000 passengers, covering 86,000 kms with an average total of 3,500 trips, out of which 336 school trips.  53% of the routes are on a commercial basis whilst 47% are on social basis.

Since early 2015, modernization of the NTC is well under way. The purchase of one hundred semi low-floor buses from China (of the make Yutong) has contributed significantly to improve the service across the island. Furthermore, this has enhanced the image of the NTC.