Rabat’s Public Transport Crisis: Fare Hikes Spark Outrage as Service Quality Plummets

For thousands of residents of Rabat, Salé, Témara and Skhirat, the daily commute is like an obstacle course. The overcrowding of buses is the recurring criticism, a situation that is worsening with the start of the school and university year. Yet, despite the increase in fares, no tangible improvement is visible on the ground, and the operator Alsa is accused by its detractors of not respecting its specifications while benefiting from public subsidies.

The exasperation is such that it now has an echo in Parliament. Deputy Fatima Tamni has brought the case to the table of the Minister of Transport through a written question. She denounces an untenable situation, evoking the "real suffering" of citizens and increases that "weigh down the burden of families without any improvement in the offer or quality".

The government is now summoned to explain itself. The parliamentarian is demanding accountability on the control measures that the ministry intends to apply to force the operator to respect its "contractual commitments".