Local Geography and Route Knowledge
This domain tests whether you can plan and adjust routes across Mauritius: the motorway spine, the main towns, the airport run, and the one-way and congested streets that decide whether a fare takes 20 minutes or 60.
The map you need
- Port Louis - capital, harbour, Champ de Mars, busy one-way streets, heavy commuter peaks.
- Central plateau - Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Quatre Bornes, Vacoas-Phoenix, Curepipe; St Jean Road and Royal Road are the key spines.
- North - Grand Baie, Triolet, Goodlands, Pamplemousses, Cap Malheureux.
- East - Centre de Flacq, Bel Air, Mahébourg, and SSR International Airport at Plaisance.
- South and west - Souillac, Chamarel, Black River, Tamarin, Flic en Flac.
- The M1, M2, M3 and M4 motorways link Port Louis, the plateau and the airport; know the junctions where you can leave when traffic stalls.
Route planning
- Ask the passenger whether they want the fastest or the shortest route, and say which you are taking.
- Build a mental alternative for each main corridor: if the motorway is blocked, which Royal Road or plateau road gets you around it?
- Allow for school runs, market days, cane-cart traffic and cyclone-season road closures.
Worked example
Airport to Grand Baie at 08:00 on a weekday.
Reasoning: the direct motorway route funnels into Port Louis at the worst hour. Compare the plateau alternative through Curepipe and Moka before committing, check for roadworks, tell the passenger the plan and the estimated time, and switch early rather than late. A driver who waits until the jam is visible has already lost the fare time.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the motorway as always fastest.
- Not knowing Port Louis one-way streets.
- Taking an unrequested detour to raise the fare.
- Failing to warn the passenger about a known closure.