“A STUDY OF THE ADAPTABILITY OF THE CITIZENS OF

MAURITIUS TO THE NEW EMERGING LAND TRANSPORT

METRO EXPRESS”

STUDENT NAME: YOGEENEE CHOKUPERMAL SOJAGUEN

STUDENT NUMBER: 1920280
COURSE NAME: Masters in Business Administration
DEPARTMENT: GROUP B
COURSE CODE: BUSINESS RESERCH AND METHODOLOGY
SUPERVISOR: MR JAG CHELLUMBRUN
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 16th MARCH 2020
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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................................4-5
PROBLEM STATEMENT............................................................................................................................................6-7
OVERVIEW........................................................................................................................................................................6
RESEARCH QUESTION/HYPOTHESIS…………………………………………………………………………………….
7
OBJECTIVES AND AIMS................................................................................................................................................8
OVERALL OBJECTIVE........................................................................................................................................................8
SPECIFIC AIMS..................................................................................................................................................................8
LITTERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………………………………………..........9-13
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS...................................................................................................................... 14
OVERVIEW......................................................................................................................................................................14
POPULATION AND STUDY SAMPLE.................................................................................................................................14
SAMPLE SIZE AND SELECTION OF SAMPLE....................................................................................................................14
SOURCES OF DATA.........................................................................................................................................................14
COLLECTION OF DATA....................................................................................................................................................14
EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT.................................................................................................................................................14
DATA MANAGEMENT.....................................................................................................................................................14
DATA ANALYSIS STRATEGIES........................................................................................................................................14
ETHICS AND HUMAN SUBJECTS ISSUES..........................................................................................................................14
TIMEFRAMES...................................................................................................................................................................15
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE STUDY...............................................................................................16
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................................17

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ABSTRACT
After several years of discussion and waiting, the present Government of Mauritius
has decided to launch the Metro Express—a light rail transport system to better
address transport problems for the country in the future according to the government .
In an island having a traffic ratio of nearly 500,000 vehicles to a population of
1.2 million people, the project comes at a right time to better portray Mauritius with
an alternative transport system in the years to come. This research work is more in the
form of an opinion article that gives an outlook on the adaptability of the citizens
of Mauritius to new transport system by using quantitative methods mainly questionnaire
which will be address to the public. The result of this project will also help in decision
making such as investing in other phases other than Rose-hill to Port –Louis if people are
accepting the modern transport system. Furthermore, if this modern transport is accepted
by the citizens and reduce the problem of high congestion and lateness to workplace, then
there is nothing that can prevent Mauritius to become a high income economy by 2030.

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INTRODUCTION
Traffic congestion, automobile dependence, lateness to work, car ownership, emissions
pollution, and a decreasing quality of life are often cited as some of the most important
problems faced by today’s large urban centers. In an effort to address some of these
problems, many countries around the world have invested sizeable amounts in the
extension and redevelopment of old and the creation of new urban public transport
systems among which is the LRV (Light Rail Vehicle). It is hoped that these modern public
transport systems will help combat the increased dependence on automobile and the
associated problems. In fact in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is the first island to have
introduced the first phase of the light rail system with its main objectives to decrease
congestion during peak hours in the capital.
The Metro Express replaces the former Light Rail Transit concept with merely a
change in appellation that was supposed to develop the transport system in the
congested urban areas of Mauritius. This project hailed in the 1970s was firstly
developed as a concept back in the 1980s when the Government of Mauritius
decided to think of a transport system to fight back road congestion. Initially,
this idea received a lukewarm response in parliament and the public however only
since 1995, the project was further debated under the concept ‘Metro Léger’ meaning light
rail transport system.
It has always been a known fact that a rail system is expensive compared to the traditional
bus system. The costs of implementing such a project have varied from Mauritian
rupees (MUR 6 billion) in the 1990s to nearly Rs 30 billion recently. The exorbitant
cost of implementation has chased successive governments to put aside this mega
project. However, alternatives were sought like a busway but this has not been
applicable for unforeseen reasons. In the meanwhile, additional lanes have been
added to existing motorways along with new roads constructed like the Verdun link
road to partly address congestion but there was still to amend to reduce the congestion.
The Metro Express is a transport system with a 26km track and 19 stations with first
phase that currently connect Rose-hill to Port-louis, and with a coming second phase that
will connect Cure pipe to Port-Louis. The Metro express mission is to provide a transport
system which is comfortable, safe, reliable, secure and accessible to all citizens of
Mauritius. For the citizen of Mauritius who today has to struggle to get to work every
morning or any other destination, the new Mauritius Metro Express is now a far more

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comfortable ride. Free to just sit back, relax in air-conditioned bliss and enjoy the ride from
Rose-Hill to Port-Louis and thereafter from Curepipe to Port-Louis.

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PROBLEM STATEMENT

Overview
Our actual transport system is in a serious condition since the number of vehicles in the country
has increased to a traffic ratio of nearly 500,000 vehicles to a population of 1.2 million
people. It is observed that construction of roads also did not progress accordingly. Thus
severe traffic congestion at the entrance of the capital during peak hours leads to lateness
to the workplace. In the future, if the transport problem is not well addressed, hence
problem such longer time will be wasted in travelling from one point to another and this will
have an impact on the productivity and efficiency of the country.
Furthermore, the Metro Express is a new transport system which has caused lot
disturbance to the inhabitant living nearby the Track, therefore, this project will analyse if
todays these people find this as an opportunity to them to have a modern transport system
in their vicinity instead of waiting buses for every 30minutes.
There is also the acceptance of owners of motor vehicles mainly motorcycles and cars
which will be taken into consideration, since LRV is a new transport system which passed
through different junction on the road as priority to other vehicles.

Research Question
 Will the citizens change their mind set and accept the Metro as their everyday means of
transport instead of travelling by bus or cars?
 Will people from higher class status willing to leave their vehicles to travel by LRV?
 Will the Metro Express be able to cause decongestion of traffic in the capital and in urban
areas during peak hours?
 Will this means of transport profitable to the citizens in the long run? For how long will it
sustain?
 Will the Metro Express reduce the probability for people from reaching to their workplace
late?
 Does the citizen feels safe and secure while travelling in the LRV?
 For the inhabitants living in the vicinity of the stations such as Vandermesh, Beau -Bassin,
Barkly do they find this means of transport a facility or disturbance ?

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 Does the citizens feel less stress when travelling in Metro since the aim of having a metro
line is to reduce worry about time table, or missing your train due to high frequency and
predictability of trains?
 Do motorists find the Metro as an added congestion problem since at each and every
junction along the track, it is the LRV which get the priority?
 How far are motorist accepting the Metro system on the road and are abiding to the road
signage?

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OBJECTIVES AND AIMS

Overall Objective
The overall objective of this project is to measure the acceptance of Metro as a means of modern
transport by the citizens of Mauritius.In fact, Metro Express is to provide socio-economic benefits
and equal opportunities in public spaces to all citizens. As advantage the ticket pricing is affordable
and the journey time is reduced.Further, this will help to forecast for future phases, if Metro will be
profitable means of transport. It will also help to determine if Metro is reliable means of transport in
term of decongestion of traffic and helping people in reaching their workplace on time.

Specific Aims
 To analyze the modal shift in people changing their mean of transport to travel by the LRV,
by aiming to reduce congestion in crowded urban areas.
 To provide rural and urban areas with poor transport link with a fast means of transport.
 To integrate Metro in the rural and urban areas and give greater and faster mobility to the
population.

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LITTERATURE REVIEW
Transportation is the second highest average household expenditure, behind only housing
in each and every country around the world. The transport problem in Mauritius is
serious although more and more people use a personal means of transport. In
the past thirty years, the number of vehicles in the country has increased by almost
400% making the island one of the densest in terms of traffic management. Since the
construction of roads did not progress accordingly albeit some effort to create or
extend motorways and build some highways, transport has become a heated
issue. There is severe traffic congestion at entrances to Port Louis in the morning and
at the exits in the evening, caused mainly by work trips. There is anecdotal evidence
that motorists spend as much as 600 hours annually in traffic congestion (1).
Road congestion is customary due to factors like poor parking amenities, improper
parking of vehicles despite traffic signs but, more importantly, as a result of intense
traffic on roads particularly in the urban regions.
If the transport problem is not well addressed in Mauritius, the following problems are
likely to crop up: longer time wasted in travelling, lowered level of productivity and
efficiency and increased level of pollution linked with sound and carbon emissions
from vehicles. It was recently reported that traffic congestion made the
Mauritian economy lose MUR 20 billion per year. Tick Kan sums up the argument as:
What about the current expenses of these 500,000 vehicles, to transport our 1.2
million inhabitants daily? Again, a simple calculation allows us to situate the expenses
of gasoline and other consumption of the vehicles to at least Rs 20 billion per year (2).

Alternatives to traffic congestion have been sought in Mauritius as a means of reducing

traffic congestion and ensuring quicker connection with the different
places. Below, an indicative list of transport alternatives are provide.
1. Bus way
Bus way was initially sought as a means of improving traffic in the urban areas
connecting Port Louis and Curepipe. This would comprise special lanes for buses that
could move on a special lane where there would be only buses. This measure was
considered as an economical and potentially viable one. It did not materialise since
there are already built-up places and some residents might have to be located
elsewhere.

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2. Carpooling
This idea was well developed by an earlier government stating that car users
could interchange with one another―especially colleagues―on alternate days both
as a means of saving fuel but also reducing the number of vehicles on road on
alternate days. This technique earned little acceptance from the public as carpooling
is not a culturally ingrained practice in Mauritius. Latreille, a spokesman, stated that
‘This concept comes from the United States, Canada and Europe. It has grown in
Mauritius, especially for the trip to Port Louis and Ebony. People do not hesitate to
share a vehicle to save time, save money and be more comfortable (3).
3. LRT ( Light Rail Transport )
This has been a much debated issues especially with regards to the operation and
implementation costs. With heavy investment amounting to over Rs 17 billion and
unexpected additional overheads, this system was contested year in year out but
has become an alternative capable of being put to action as from 2017. This
system is said to carry up to 80,000 passengers per day with some 30 trams
operating on the rail track. It is presently direly supported by the government that
wants to go ahead with the project. The LRT is viewed as a road transport
system with an integrated three tier structure to provide greater mobility and fluidity in the
transport system for the next 30 years is what the Government envisions, according to
Minister Bodha (4).
Some of the reasons for contesting for the Metro Project were mainly:
1. Job loss in the traditional transport system:
As soon as the project was initiated by the Government of Mauritius, there were
apprehensions from existing transport providers. Trade unions state that there has
been little or no communication with bus industry workers. There is nothing stated
on job loss in the bus industry while many people advocate that job losses will
be imminent in the wake of materialising LRT system in Mauritius. By the way,
demonstrations are actually being sought in the country (5).
2. Non viability of rail transport:
Rail transport has not been considered as viable by onlookers. Specialists in this area
have contested about the exorbitant price of implementation of rail transport
compared to other modes like bus lanes that are cheaper to implement. They have even
provided case analyses of countries whereby LRT is a failure.
3. Long time lag for carrying passengers:
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Despite the fact that the LRT is going to be a remedy to all the existing transport ills in
urban Mauritius, specialists have been considering the time lag in carrying
passengers. Given that the proposed Metro Express halts in 19 stations that have been
identified, there will be delay regarding time taking for passengers to embark
and get down the Metro. Also the 19 halts might be coupled with time for the Metro to
move around crossings where existing transport systems pass by.
4. Difficulty of executing the project:
A major problem comes from the implementation of the project. Although, a plan has
been developed and possibly, will be put to action in a few months’ time, the execution of
the project asks for some added questions. For example, when will the project be
complete? Will the government have sufficient revenue to finance the project?
How long will it take to remove obstacles to the project like already built living
structures, old buildings pertaining to patrimony? How much time and effort will be
spent on relocation of existing inhabitants whose living plots might be used up by
Metro Express (6).
5. No extension to rural areas:
Some onlookers state that the Metro Express will only cater to urban residents and that
it overlooks the needs for rural residents who might not be advantages to
their urban counterparts. Transport problems in rural Mauritius are also coming along
with congested roads, country roads that cannot and have never been altered since more
than a century except being consolidated, resurfaced or improved.
6. Not in line with Mauritian exclusivity:
Some pessimists do also state that the Metro Express is not in line with the Mauritian
exclusivity of being a small island nation with its traditional transport system, its
‘island-like ‘joie de vivre’’, its typical landscape and infrastructure. The Metro
Express appears to be an imported concept that will be non-viable for Mauritius.
Sithanen (2017) comments that It is thus very unclear whether the Light Rail
Transport will generate sufficient economic and environmental benefits to offset its
large financial deficit (7).
Some of the reasons for supporting the Metro Project were:
From this standpoint, there might be reasons that might otherwise favor supporting
the metro Express project. Discordant voices that go against the implementation of
the LRT project essentially base their argument on the financial aspect. This has been
echoed in the Mauritian press and reached a significantly high level of responses.
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Despite that, there are comments that favour the development of the LRT in Mauritius
and these have lesser to do with the single financial criterion but rather on factors
dealing with comfort, convenience, time saving and modernity. A few positive criticisms
are synthesized below.
1. A viable project for Mauritius:
Proponents of the Metro Express claim that the LRT project will be viable for
Mauritius based from the fact that expenses keep rising year after year and that
investment in the purchase of vehicles, repairs and maintenance of roads,
construction of new roads, etc. could be detrimental to the finances of the country. A single
project linked with traffic decongestion is a suitable alternative to consider.
2. A long-term strategic solution:
The long-term scaling of the project deserves to be mentioned. Very often, transport
problems can be addressed by either piecemeal or short-term solutions. Once
again, new problems arise. The fact that the Metro Express is long-term oriented with
the possibility of expanding through new lines and rural connections could be a well
sought alternative for those favouring the LRT.
3. A safe and non-pollution causing system:
This concept has not met with opposition. It is clear that this diesel and fuel-free
means of transport focuses on electrical transmission which is pollution free. In a
country that focuses on sustainable development through ‘Ile Maurice Durable’, it
is reasonable to say that the LRT has that positive impact of not adding to
externalities like air pollution.
4. A response to safety and comfort:
Safety and passenger comfort could be two associated elements in LRT.With a
rail track free from congestion, accident rates, if any, could be minimized. There
would be higher level of comfort compared to diesel run buses and this is evident from
the alignment of railway tracks that causes lesser discomfort compared to bumpy
roads, untarred roads and potholes that create discomfort and are also hazardous.
5. An image of a high income country:
The image of public transport could be enhanced with the Metro Express. Generally, this
looks like a model with aspiring high-income economies and Mauritius, which aims to
become such a model, could well accommodate a modern means of public
transport in the middle or long-term.
6. Job creation in Mauritius.
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The Prime Minister stated that the Metro Express project is expected to generate net
job creation in the transportation sector itself and dismissed any apprehensions
about job losses amongst bus employees. He assured that there will be
full consultations with stakeholders, particularly bus employees, bus owners and
bus companies with a view to coming up with win-win solutions. The PM
emphasized that it is estimated that in its construction phase, the Metro Express Project
will create around 7,000 full time equivalent jobs and contribute to Rs 13 billion to
National Output. “We are expecting even greater economic and social spin-offs, as it
will be a safer and environmentally cleaner mode of transportation,” said the
Prime Minister (8).
Obviously, most of the arguments in favor of new public transportation systems are based
on the perceived impacts: increased market share for public transportation, reduced
automobile dependence, environmental impacts, and effects on urban development. Much
of the effort for developing new systems has concentrated, worldwide, in the direction of
Metros (or subways). These developments offer unparalleled quality of service
(in terms of frequency and speed of service and reduced travel time) and can, with greater
probability than purely bus-based systems, act as a deterrent to automobile use. Many
authors have examined the impacts of new public transport systems around the world.
Mackettand Edwards (1998) examined, with the use of extensive Questionnaires, the
expected and realized benefits from the construction of new public transport systems from
100 cities around the world. Their results indicate that the impacts of the new urban public
transport systems are much smaller than those anticipated by promoting them (the authors
of this study also offer an extensive review of much of the literature on the expected and
realized benefits from the construction of new public transport systems). Harper (2000)
examined the impacts of the opening of lines 1 and 2 of the Midland Metro (West Midlands
region of England) with the use of a household survey. One of Harper’s most interesting
results was that transfer from car makes up a smaller proportion of patronage than
forecast.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Overview
The data needed to assess behavior as well as changes in behavior by the presence of a
new mode of transport come from questionnaires that is the use of qualitative method. The
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survey that will be used in this project will include a large number of inquiries, including
questions on mode choice, travel time, travel cost, trip purpose, socioeconomic
characteristics, and trip chain behavior.

Population and Study Sample

The surveys will be completed in two locations: First, on board, with face to face interviews
for Metro and bus riders, and second, with roadside interviews for automobile users. It
should be mentioned here that the main goal of this survey was to assess both the
underlying characteristics of mode choice and the changes in mode choice behavior from
the introduction of the new Metro system.

Sample Size and Selection of Sample

In order to select the most representative Sample of Metro riders, a multi-stage stratified
Sampling process will be followed. The strata of the survey will be the two main station
Rose-Hill and Port-Louis. A weighted random sampling (using age and sex as the weights)
will be used to select the interviewed individuals.

Sources of Data
Both primary and secondary data.
Primary will be collected by use of questionnaire.
Secondary data will be mainly based on the statistic that we actually have in Mauritius in term of
traffic and population.

Collection of Data
The use of questionnaire distributed taking into consideration the age and sex.
Targeted age group will be mainly start from 18years to 65 years (working population)

Exposure Assessment

Data Management

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Data Analysis Strategies

Use of SPSS to see the trend and hypothesis.

Ethics and Human Subjects Issues

The concept of metro is mainly in line with utilitarianism since it has both drawback and advantage
that is subjected to the population of Mauritius. Furthermore this means of transport work a lot with
stakeholder.

Timeframes
2 months

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STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE STUDY

The strength of the study will that for the survey I think I will be able to target enough passengers
since I work at Metro Express.
However the weakness will be to convince the people to fill in the questionnaire correctly especially
during peak hours during which people are mostly in a hurry.

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REFERENCES
1. Menon, G. Report on road congestion pricing in Mauritius, Ministry of
public infrastructure, Government of Mauritius, April 2004.
2. Metro Express proposed track in Mauritius, L’Express, Acknowledged Infographic
of La Sentinelle Ltd, 19th October 2016.
3. Tic Kan, G. (2017) Alternative transport mode for, what future for Mauritius?
L’Express, 27th March 2017.
4. Megamotors. Carpooling: Simple, Economic and Ecological, Defi Media Group,
22nd March 2013.
5. Bodha, N. Road Decongestion Programme and Light Rail Transit System
Project deemed complementary in solving traffic congestion problem, 24th May
2016.
6. Metro, Light Rail and BRT. Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban
Mobility, Chapter 3, Page 40, http//: unhabitat.org/ Accessed on 6th April
2017.
7. Ahern, A., 2001. Model choices and new urban public transport Traffic Eng.
Control 42 (4), 108–114.
8. Mackett, R.L., Edwards, M., 1998. The impacts of new urban public transport
systems: will the expectations be met? Transp. Res. A 32, 231–245.
9. Metro Development Study, 1996a. Public Transport Mode Inventory for Athens,
Attiko Metro Agency, Athens, Greece.
10. Monzon, A., 2000. Travel demand impacts of a new privately operated suburban
rail in the Madrid N-III corridor, Presented in the European Transport Research
Conference, September 7–11, Cambridge, UK.
11. Downs, Anthony, "The Law of Peak-Hour Expressway Congestion," Traffic Quar-
terly, July 1962, 16, 393-409.
12. Hendrickson, Chris and Kocur, George, "Sched- ule Delay and Departure Time
Decisions in a Deterministic Model," Transporta- tion Science, February 1981, 15,
62-77.
13. Borins, Sanford F., "The Political Economy of Road Pricing: The Case of Hong
Kong," in Proceedings of the World Con- ference on Transport Research,
Vancouver, BC, Vol. 2, Vancouver: Center for Trans- portation Studies, University
of British Columbia, 1986, pp. 1367-78.
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14. McFadden, Daniel, "The Measurement of Urban Travel Demand," Journal of

Public Economics, November 1974, 3, 303-28.
15. Vickrey, William, "Pricing in Urban and Sub- urban Transport," American
Economic Review, May 1963 (Papers and Proceed- ings), 53, 452-65. ,
"Congestion Theory and Transport Investment," American Economic Review, May
1969 (Papers and Proceedings), 59, 251-61.

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