Praslin transport system changes hands after 30 years |31 January 2009

The work will now be carried out by the Praslin Transport Company (PTC), which comes under the Praslin Development Fund (PDF).

The change forms part of the government’s liberalisation plan, and the lease of the island’s public transport system will allow residents to administer their own bus schedule.

The PDF owns 60% of the new company, while the government owns the remaining 40%.
As the majority shareholder, the PDF has set up its own management team to run the business.

The SPTC handed over its assets to the PDF during a ceremony yesterday at the Praslin bus depot. Board chairperson Jessie Esparon and managing director Daniel Gappy signed the handover agreement on behalf of the SPTC, while the PDF was represented by its chairperson Michel Gardette and vice-chairperson Mitcy Larue.

Mr Gardette thanked the SPTC for the 30 years of public transport delivered on Praslin.
He said tough challenges await the new company in carrying on the good service previously provided by the SPTC with the help of a government subsidy.

With the ongoing economic reform programme, Mr Gardette said the PTC should carry out some cost-cutting activities so as to succeed in its prime aim – to provide adequate services at a reasonable cost.

As a shareholder, the government will guarantee technical and logistic support.
The handover decision was taken after a committee was set up in the Transport Department to work on the liberalisation process and identified privatisation as one of its main recommendations.

The change in the Praslin transport system is only the first phase. In the meantime, the government will go ahead with its studies into how it will carry out the process on Mahe.