World Bank Approves $150 Million for Morocco’s Urban Transport Expansion

The purpose of this additional WB financing is to apply the program to the new mobility priorities in this health context and to expand the scope of the program. "The Covid-19 pandemic underscores more than ever the importance of investments in safe, affordable and efficient public transport to serve economic and social inclusion and climate change mitigation," said Jesko Hentschel, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb, quoted in the WB press release.

To date, the investments deployed in this program have benefited 40,000 urban transport users per day, thanks to the improvement in the quality of the services provided. The total number of daily beneficiaries should reach 130,000 city dwellers by the end of the program, the same press release pointed out.

The additional WB financing plans to put in place supervision mechanisms to rationalize the management of the sector. These mechanisms will provide technical and strategic support to the local authorities responsible for urban transport for the development of sustainable services, as desired. In addition, transport corridors, especially in the form of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), will also be created to allow populations to better access economic opportunities and social services.