President Danny Faure met with the members of the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) Board at State House this afternoon, following his commitment in December last year to meet with all public sector Boards this year.

The President thanked the Board for their hard work, and noted his appreciation of Board members representing various sectors of society, including the private sector. He thanked them for making the time to support a public service Board.

President Faure began the meeting by briefly revisiting the history of SPTC, which was established in December 1977 to cater for the commuting needs of the people. Its mandate is to offer accessible, affordable public transportation. Approximately 55,000 people, Seychellois and visitors alike, make use of SPTC services on a daily basis.

During the meeting, the Chairperson of the Board, Mr Andy Moncherry, outlined some of the key challenges of SPTC over the past year and areas on which to improve. The CEO of SPTC, Mr Patrick Vel, noted the relatively small number of bus accidents over the years, and the urgent need to make the bus system more efficient. Mr Vel also detailed SPTC’s plans to recruit more technical staff and build capacity in middle management.

Following the meeting with the President, it was decided that the Government and SPTC would collaborate on a comprehensive strategic plan based on current realities to be completed within the next two months. A technical team was also appointed to ensure that SPTC’s challenges are resolved quickly, and the important public good is made more efficient and offers better service.

Also present at the meeting this afternoon was the Minister for Habitat, Infrastructure, Land Use, and Transport, Mrs Pamela Charlette, CEO of SPTC, Mr Patrick Vel, and all SPTC Board members