SEPTEMBER 2025 - Flipbook - Page 19
TECH NEWS
reducing congestion, cutting emissions, and stitching together the social and
economic fabric of a nation. This is why many governments treat transport as a
public utility first, a commercial venture second.
reports filed annually, the system would provide a live accounting of progress,
feeding into both national climate commitments and international carbon
markets.
London is a telling example. The iconic red double-deckers are operated by
private contractors, but the entire system is coordinated and owned by Transport
for London (TfL). Routes, pricing, and service standards are centrally managed,
and every penny of profit is reinvested into the wider transport network.
Passengers may not always notice the governance structure, but they benefit
from a system where efficiency and public interest are aligned.
In other words, every bus journey could produce not just mobility but also
measurable climate value: a tradable, verifiable proof that Mauritius is reducing
emissions and meeting its green commitments. By linking electrification
with blockchain-based carbon accounting, Mauritius could transform its
fleet into a double engine of change: cleaner streets at home, and a stronger
environmental reputation abroad.
Singapore’s model is equally revealing. There, buses are run by private operators
but under strict state regulation. The Land Transport Authority determines where
buses run, how often, and at what price. The operators compete for contracts not
on routes but on service quality, ensuring that coverage remains comprehensive
and fares affordable. The result is a system where buses arrive on time, and
citizens can trust that mobility is a right, not a privilege.
In Paris, the RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) goes even further,
with public ownership of both buses and metros. Here, the goal is explicitly tied
to climate and urban planning policies. As Paris pushes to reduce car use and
meet its environmental commitments, the bus system is being electrified in
tandem with cycle lanes and low-emission zones. The network is not just moving
people but reshaping the city’s relationship with sustainability.
Mauritius’s model, a public-private partnership anchored by UBS and smaller
operators under government mandate, is distinct but not misaligned with these
international practices. The challenge, however, is that the system has largely
remained focused on service provision, rather than becoming a platform for
broader national objectives such as digital innovation, carbon reduction, or
data-driven urban planning.
Reimagining the bus network as a public utility infused with blockchain and
Web3 tools would not mean dismantling what already works. It would mean
expanding the mandate: ensuring buses are not just moving passengers but also
collecting data, generating new revenue streams, and aligning with national
sustainability goals. In effect, Mauritius could pioneer a model where buses are
at once vehicles of transport, tools of governance, and engines of innovation.
From Diesel to Data: Greening the Fleet
If Mauritius’s bus service is the nation’s bloodstream, then its reliance on diesel
is the cholesterol clogging the arteries. Transport accounts for nearly 25 per cent
of the island’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the majority of buses still run on
ageing diesel engines. These vehicles not only pump carbon into the atmosphere
but also contribute to air pollution that affects respiratory health in urban centres
like Port Louis and Curepipe.
The problem is not unique to Mauritius. For decades, diesel was the fuel of
choice for buses worldwide. But today, countries are moving fast to abandon it.
Shenzhen, China, became the first city in the world to fully electrify its fleet,
rolling out more than 16,000 electric buses in less than a decade. The transformation cut noise, reduced emissions, and lowered maintenance costs, with
long-term savings outweighing the upfront investment. In Europe, cities like
Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam have committed to phasing out diesel buses
entirely by 2030, supported by EU funding for clean mobility. Even in India,
where scale is daunting, state governments have begun piloting electric buses
under central subsidy schemes.
Mauritius is particularly well-suited for such a transition. The island’s geography
is compact, with no route stretching beyond 80 kilometres making it a perfect
match for modern electric buses that can run 250 to 300 kilometres on a single
charge. Charging infrastructure could be strategically placed at depots and key
hubs, powered by the island’s expanding solar and wind capacity. This would
not only reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels but also align seamlessly
with the country’s pledge to cut emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 under the
Paris Agreement.
Yet electrification is only one part of the opportunity. In the digital age, buses
can do more than emit less; they can generate data. Each vehicle could be
equipped with sensors to track energy consumption, passenger flows, and
emissions reductions. This data, stored on blockchain, would create a transparent, real-time record of the fleet’s environmental impact. Unlike carbon
Vitalik Buterin, TechCrunch London 2015
Photo: John Phillips
A tranquil journey. A Mauritius bus on the coastal road.
The Blockchain Bus: Infrastructure Meets Innovation
The buses of Mauritius already generate immense value, but much of it goes
unseen. Passenger flows, ticket sales, maintenance logs, fuel usage, even
emissions data all exist, yet they remain scattered across private operators’
systems, inaccessible to passengers, policymakers, or the wider economy.
In effect, the buses are both lifeline and blind spot. Blockchain has the
potential to change that, turning every vehicle into a node in a living,
transparent digital ecosystem.
The principle is simple: what if every transaction, every kilometre travelled,
every subsidy paid, and every tonne of carbon saved could be immutably
recorded on a distributed ledger? For regulators, it would mean oversight
not through quarterly reports but in real time. For citizens, it would mean
visible proof of service delivery forming a public record of punctuality,
reliability, and sustainability. For operators, it would mean performancebased incentives tied directly to measurable outcomes, reducing bureaucracy
and disputes.
This is where the fusion of Web2 and Web3 architectures becomes critical.
Web2 interfaces comprising mobile apps, digital wallets, and live dashboards
would make the system accessible and familiar to everyday users. Passengers
could track buses in real time, pay fares seamlessly, file complaints, or suggest
improvements. At the same time, Web3 backends powered by blockchain and
smart contracts would ensure that the data underlying these services is tamperproof, decentralised, and accountable.
Consider the example of subsidies. Today, government support for operators
is based on reported ridership and costs. With blockchain, subsidies could be
linked directly to real passenger numbers verified by sensors and digital tickets,
ensuring funds are distributed fairly and efficiently. Similarly, contracts for
advertising on buses or at stations could be executed via smart contracts,
eliminating the opacity and potential leakage of traditional arrangements.
This vision transforms buses from vehicles into platforms. They would no
longer simply move passengers; they would produce streams of data, value,
and trust. And because the ledger is public, Mauritius could showcase this
innovation globally, branding its transport system not just as efficient, but
as one of the most transparent in the world.
Tokenomics: The Mauritius Bus Token (MBT)
If blockchain provides the infrastructure for transparency, tokenomics provides
the economic engine that could redefine how Mauritius thinks about public
