Morocco Shakes Up Urban Transport: Alsa’s Dominance Challenged as Government Seeks Modernization

The Moroccan government has just launched new tenders for the management of urban transport in Marrakech, Tangier and Agadir. Major bus transport companies such as Transdev, already present on the Moroccan tramway, CTM, Supratours (ONCF) and even Citybus are bidding to win this market.

The authorities have planned to modernize this sector with a budget of 1.04 billion euros. Concretely, it is a question of renewing the aging fleet and improving road safety. The buses still in circulation in Marrakech have an average age of 20 years. Those in Agadir regularly break down and cause accidents. The people of Tangier, on the other hand, have constantly denounced the chronic delays, the dilapidated buses and the inaccessibility of the peripheral neighborhoods. To overcome these difficulties, the State intends to acquire more than 3,700 new buses, in particular from the Chinese manufacturer Yutong, according to Maghreb Intelligence.

To cut short the criticism, Alberto Pérez, CEO of Alsa Maroc, recalls that the company started with a new fleet, Moroccan drivers trained continuously and even sent for advanced training in Spain. From 15 million in 2012, Alsa transported 62 million passengers in 2023. Figures that show its progress in the Moroccan market. But its customer base could be reduced in the coming months, according to sources who announce a drop in its urban traffic from 70% to 40% or 45%.