SEYCHELLES PUBLIC TRANSPORT CORPORATION GETS 10 MORE BUSSES
Public transport on the islands of Mahe and Praslin is vested in the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation, which provides up to 60.000 Seychellois [out of a total population of about 87.000] on a busy day with the means to get to school, to work, to do the daily shopping or to see friends across the two islands. Earlier in the week did China make good of a promise made during the last state visit by President James Michel in 2011 and handed over a gift of 10 brand new buses to the company, aimed to boost capacity and operate more services. Present at the handover ceremony were Transport and Internal Affairs Minister Joel Morgan, Foreign Minister Jean-Paul Adam and the Chinese Ambassador to the Seychelles Shi Zhongjun, besides SPTC board members and senior management. This welcome addition to the SPTC fleet comes ahead of the planned introduction of park and ride for the capital Victoria, which although the smallest capital in the world with only just over 20.000 inhabitants is suffering increasingly of traffic congestion, something the use of busses into the city from points on the periphery is hoped to alleviate in the future.
While quintessential for Seychellois citizens, who do not travel by car, the bus company is also a convenient way to see and explore the two islands for tourist visitors, for a single trip fee of 5 Seychelles Rupees or about 40 US Cents. Marketing of the archipelago has in recent years paid more emphasis on Affordable Seychelles and the tourist board has been working hand in hand with Seychellois investors in guest houses, bed & breakfast establishments, holiday villas and self catering cottages, to promote this segment abroad to a wider audience. Those are tourists who could not afford the top class resorts and pay several hundred Euros a day in a 5 star hotel, but can still come to the islands for a holiday of a lifetime by using guest houses or self catering resorts.
As personally seen once again during a recent visit to the Seychelles, bus stops are conveniently located near or even in front of such hill side or beach side guest houses, allowing tourists to walk the short distance to the bus stop and catch a ride to the city, or to other parts of the island, anytime between 05.30 a.m. when services start in the morning until at least 07.30 p.m. in the evening. This permits self made day excursions at a cost of next to nothing, avoiding the often costly self drive car hire charges or the expensive use of taxis.
Establishments like the Chalet Anse Forbans in fact provide, as do many others it was discovered, their guests with printed bus schedules, which incidentally are also available via this link: www.sptc.sc/html_pages/schedule.html and actively help guest to spend the day touring Mahe. Guest house owners are often even including tips where local restaurants or take aways are located where self catering guests can eat at very affordable prices of as low as 50 Seychelles Rupees for a take away box feeding two, all aimed to make their visitors stay within their budget, and thus ensuring regular repeat visits, where tourists can experience the Seychelles, Another World at a price they can afford. Visit www.seychelles.travel for more information on Affordable Seychelles including an extensive list of available guest houses, self catering establishments often located right at a beach or just across the road from the beach bed & breakfast accommodation and holiday villas and apartments like on Eden Island. Watch this space.
