One would think they are driving in a city without any regulations. In Casablanca, the drivers of small taxis, recognizable by their red colour, only do as they please. Believing they can do anything, many of them drive most of the time for their own benefit and less and less for the users they choose at their whim.
The inhabitants of the great metropolis, according to the latest census by the High Commission for Planning (HCP), seem to be left to the whims and moods of certain drivers who make them see (literally) red.
The latter are convinced they can get away with anything, much to the chagrin of users who continue to pay the price for an insolence that is matched only by the deafening silence of the local authorities and institutions responsible for calling them to order.
Taxis that only do as they please
Less than 7 months before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (scheduled from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026), which is expected to attract a significant influx of visitors from the continent and beyond, and therefore potential users, the issue of urban transport remains worrying in the economic capital.
Despite the commissioning of new tram lines serving several districts of the city and the increased presence of grand taxis, complaints against small taxis, whose number is around 9,000, continue to increase among users.
In addition to the traffic jams that clog traffic during rush hours and the difficulties in finding a seat on a bus or a grand taxi, Casablancans must still endure the mood swings and sometimes extravagant demands of certain drivers who believe they can do anything.
Drivers who seem to follow their own code
Indeed, more and more of them are refusing certain trips and directions, limiting the number of passengers to 2 or even 1, ignoring taximeters to impose often high fares, and lengthening the route in the hope of earning a few extra cents...
Throughout the day, especially approaching and during rush hours, red taxis take a malicious pleasure in taunting users who are forced to beg them to take them or to add 5 or even 10 DH more to the meter amount, hoping to be taken to their destination.
Another practice, certainly known to Casablancans but often annoying at certain times of the day, is to see these taxis parked for long hours near stations (rail and road), hotels, restaurants, and other places waiting for clients to whom they impose often exorbitant fares; while dozens of users struggle to find a taxi a few metres away.
The irony of it all is that more and more drivers are complaining about the competition they deem "unfair" from vehicle-for-hire (VTC) apps like Yango and Driver. They do not even realise that it is they who are pushing users towards the latter through their behaviour.
Alain Bouithy
The inhabitants of the great metropolis, according to the latest census by the High Commission for Planning (HCP), seem to be left to the whims and moods of certain drivers who make them see (literally) red.
The latter are convinced they can get away with anything, much to the chagrin of users who continue to pay the price for an insolence that is matched only by the deafening silence of the local authorities and institutions responsible for calling them to order.
Taxis that only do as they please
Less than 7 months before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (scheduled from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026), which is expected to attract a significant influx of visitors from the continent and beyond, and therefore potential users, the issue of urban transport remains worrying in the economic capital.
Despite the commissioning of new tram lines serving several districts of the city and the increased presence of grand taxis, complaints against small taxis, whose number is around 9,000, continue to increase among users.
In addition to the traffic jams that clog traffic during rush hours and the difficulties in finding a seat on a bus or a grand taxi, Casablancans must still endure the mood swings and sometimes extravagant demands of certain drivers who believe they can do anything.
Drivers who seem to follow their own code
Indeed, more and more of them are refusing certain trips and directions, limiting the number of passengers to 2 or even 1, ignoring taximeters to impose often high fares, and lengthening the route in the hope of earning a few extra cents...
Throughout the day, especially approaching and during rush hours, red taxis take a malicious pleasure in taunting users who are forced to beg them to take them or to add 5 or even 10 DH more to the meter amount, hoping to be taken to their destination.
Another practice, certainly known to Casablancans but often annoying at certain times of the day, is to see these taxis parked for long hours near stations (rail and road), hotels, restaurants, and other places waiting for clients to whom they impose often exorbitant fares; while dozens of users struggle to find a taxi a few metres away.
The irony of it all is that more and more drivers are complaining about the competition they deem "unfair" from vehicle-for-hire (VTC) apps like Yango and Driver. They do not even realise that it is they who are pushing users towards the latter through their behaviour.
Alain Bouithy