The Arrival of Uber in Mauritius: Ongoing Consultations with Industry Stakeholders

In response to recent "media speculations" and concerns raised by certain taxi associations regarding the presumed arrival of Uber in Mauritius, the Minister of Land Transport has intensified consultations with industry stakeholders.

This week, he gathered representatives from the National Land Transport Authority (NLTA), the Taxi Operators Welfare Fund, the Ministries of Tourism and ICT, the Tourism Authority, as well as the Association of Hoteliers and Restaurateurs of Mauritius (AHRIM). The purpose of this meeting was to gather their respective viewpoints on the operations of online platforms dedicated to taxi services.

This initiative follows discussions held last week with several taxi associations aimed at better understanding their apprehensions regarding the evolving sector and the potential regulation of digital platforms.

It emerged from the consultations that online taxi booking platforms have existed in Mauritius for about twenty years now. However, they currently operate within an unregulated framework.

The discussions also recalled that in 2016, the government proposed the reintroduction of taxi meters and the installation of taxi stands at hotels. Subsequently, during the 2022-2023 budget exercise, it was announced that regulations for online booking platforms would be introduced by December 2022 at the latest. However, these measures have not yet materialized.

Currently, to serve the population and visitors in towns, villages, hotels, at the port, and the airport, 7,803 taxis are registered with the NLTA, each operating under a specific basic operational system.

Drawing on the representations made by various partners and the comments expressed by the public on social media, the Ministry of Land Transport will review all proposals. Recommendations will then be submitted to the government for a decision deemed to be in the public interest.