Disabled Teen Forced to Pay Bus Fare in Safi, Morocco Sparks Outrage

The payment of the bus ticket is valid for everyone, without any distinction in Safi. This is the new rule in this municipality since the Spanish company, Vectalia, has been providing urban transport since January 2019.

Disabled people who previously benefited from this public service for free are now forced to pay the bus ticket. Failing that, they will be taken to a police station.

The recent case that caused a general outcry concerns a 13-year-old child, Zineb, with Down’s syndrome, who was going by bus to the Mohammed VI Center for physiotherapy for her regular care sessions, reports the daily Akhbar.

She was forcibly disembarked at the police station for non-payment of a ticket. Subsequently, little Zineb will receive apologies from the Spanish company. Case closed.

This misconduct, which is gradually becoming the norm, is explained by the fact that some social gains, in force in all Moroccan cities for several decades, in particular, the free transport for disabled or special needs people, are not included in the specifications, signed between the Safi Municipal Council and Vectalia.