Buses from the Moka Flacq Bus Owners Cooperative Society (MBFOCS) and Rose-Hill Transport (RHT) made their debut at the Victoria Urban Terminal on Saturday, March 26. Their arrival marks the first phase of the new terminal’s operations, which includes passenger drop-off. The second phase, which will take effect on April 2, will see the boarding of passengers using MBFOCS and RHT buses.
The Minister of Transport and Metro, Alan Ganoo and his colleague, the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Bobby Hurreeram, were present for this great first. Alan Ganoo congratulated the promoters of this project. “Today is a great day for the Victoria Urban Terminal (VUT). I am extremely proud to see this project come to life, with passengers disembarking! The Victoria Urban Terminal is a perfect example of a successful public-private partnership. Bobby Hurreeram, for his part, insisted on the jewel that this new terminal represents for the island: “I congratulate the promoters for this project which will soon be a real jewel for Mauritius. Despite the Covid-19, they have managed to offer the population a terminal that exceeds all expectations. One thing is for sure, this project shows that our country continues to modernize.
Nicolas Vaudin of Victoria Station Ltd. describes this event as a new level in the urban development of Port Louis. “As promoters of this magnificent project, we are pleased that this first phase of integration of buses at the terminal has gone very well. We are proud to have been able to contribute to this new stage of the capital’s development.”
Minister Alan Ganoo noted that today marks an important milestone, as some bus operators have started to get off VUT for the first time. For him, what is even more significant is that with the introduction of the Light Rail in Mauritius, guided by the vision of the Prime Minister and the support of the Indian government, the metro will bring additional economic development, especially in the urban areas where the main terminals will be located.
For his part, Minister Hurreeram expressed his appreciation to the VUT developers for presenting the country with a jewel. Today, he said, the first buses have started operations at VUT and this shows that anything is possible if all partners, i.e. government, private and public, work together. Despite COVID-19, other challenges and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Mauritius continues to move forward with informed leadership in the interest of the people, he said.
According to him, VUT, a unique project in Mauritius, is an example for all other terminals to be implemented across the country and is a great illustration of public-private partnership. The Minister also pointed out that with COVID-19, the workforce for the VUT project is almost 100% Mauritian. Mr. Hurreeram praised all stakeholders, including the workers, the developers and the project contractor.
A pre-launch of the VUT retail segment is scheduled for April 1, 2022. This launch involves about 20 retailers who have set up their stores on the first floor of VUT.
