Agadir: Bus fares increase just after the African Cup of Nations, angering users

The new pricing has been implemented on all lines equipped with the new vehicles, both in the urban area and in the suburban areas, putting an end to the temporary pricing exception observed during the continental tournament. According to available information, the increase varies between 50 cents and one dirham per trip. Users cited by Al3omk have described this measure as sudden and socially unprepared, denouncing an attack on purchasing power in a context of rising cost of living. Several customers also believe that this price revision does not yet correspond to an overall improvement in quality, pointing to the persistence of overcrowding and irregular schedules on certain lines.

The deployment of this fleet of smart buses officially began on December 11, 2025 with a first phase of 134 vehicles, in the presence of the Wali of the Souss-Massa region, Saïd Amzazi. This project is part of a major restructuring of the transport system aimed at covering 18 municipalities, including Inezgane Aït Melloul, Taroudant, Chtouka Aït Baha and Agadir Ida Ou Tanane. Ultimately, the network will have 311 buses, including the units of the Amalway program and vehicles from the Alsa company. The president of the Grouping of Local Authorities of Greater Agadir for Transport and Mobility presents this project as a qualitative transformation responding to royal directives, with digital equipment and accessibility devices intended for the 1.8 million inhabitants of the area.

The management by Alsa currently ensures a transitional phase before the final award of a new delegated management contract for a period of ten years. Two operators, the Spanish group Otasa and the Moroccan group Supratours, have submitted bids for this market based on the principle of risk sharing. While the authorities insist on the modernization of the system to put an end to the daily suffering of citizens, the current pricing decision raises the question of the balance between technological investment and the social accessibility of the service, pending the conclusions of a planned pricing study.

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