Rabat-Salé Tramway Price Hike Sparks Debate: Taxis Divided on Impact and Opportunity

The operating company of the Rabat-Salé tramway has announced an increase in the price of tickets, bringing the fare to 7 dirhams for a single journey and 14 dirhams for the "ticket + parking" round-trip service. The measure also affects monthly subscriptions, which will see an increase of 10 dirhams for students and 20 dirhams for civil servants. This decision is viewed differently by professionals in the taxi sector. "The service rate in the capital should not be less than 20 dirhams, in order to cover the costs and contribute to the improvement of services, which confirms the need for an increase," explains a small taxi driver.

For this professional, this increase is "very modest and does not correspond to the high fuel prices," which forces drivers to "transport three passengers for a fare of 6 dirhams and 50 cents, for a distance where the vehicle consumes about 3 dirhams of diesel." He continues: "The pricing in force in the capital, as in a number of cities, remains low compared to that applied in countries like Turkey or Tunisia... Professionals aspire to work with a fleet of taxis meeting the required quality standards and honoring the country during the major global events it will host, which requires an increase in pricing."

However, this increase in the price of the tramway ticket "represents an opportunity that professionals must exploit to attract new customers," according to a grand taxi driver, a member of the executive board of the National Union of the Taxi Sector in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra. According to this professional, maintaining the current tariff of 5 dirhams "remains the best and most judicious choice for professionals." The increase or non-increase in prices "should be the subject of discussions between professionals before any decision is made on the matter, especially since any sudden increase could deter a number of ’grand taxi’ customers," he added.