Melilla-Morocco Border Restrictions Strain Taxi Services, Cause Long Delays

This situation has significantly reduced traffic and causes long queues at the Beni Ensar border crossing. For these reasons, the government delegation and the Ministry of the Environment believe that it is not wise at the moment to authorize taxis to enter Morocco. The two entities explain that it is not possible for a certain number of taxis to leave the autonomous city towards Morocco without refueling and that no customer would accept to wait two hours at the border while the meter is running.

The approach that seems more appropriate would be to take a taxi to the border, cross it on foot and take another taxi once in Morocco. For Hassan Mohatar, head of the Environment, taxi drivers can cross the border "if they have a customs document", also noting that Moroccan taxis cannot either bring passengers to Melilla.

Citizens of the autonomous city have indicated that they are having trouble finding taxis in the city center because they are all at the border, especially during critical periods of arrival and departure of passengers as part of the ongoing Marhaba Operation. The president of the Unitaxi Melilla association, Mohamed Lamrani, has invited them to be patient, even if he understands their state of "nervousness", especially when it comes to taking a plane or a boat.

The situation is "temporary", probably due to the Marhaba Operation, Lamrani specified, assuring that it is not necessary to expand the fleet of taxis in the autonomous city. He also asked that taxis be allowed to enter the pedestrian streets, as is the case in Ceuta, or in other cities like Granada.