Taxis in Morocco

Collectively, taxis are one of the best features of Moroccan transport. They oper­ate on a wide variety of routes, are much quicker than buses (usually quicker than trains, too), and fares are very reasonable. They are also a good way of meeting people and having impromptu Arabic lessons.

Taxis in Morocco are usually Peugeot or Mercedes cars carrying six passengers. Most business is along specific routes, and the most popular routes have more or less continuous departures throughout the day. Consequently, you don’t have to worry about timetables. You just show up at the terminal and ask for a place to a specific destination. As soon as six (or, if you’re will­ing to pay extra, four or five) people are assembled, the taxi sets off. Make sure, however, when asking about taxis, that it is clear you only want to go to a place (hold up one finger) in a shared col­lective taxi, as drivers often “presume” that a tourist will want to charter the whole taxi (see below), which means paying for all six places.

Most Taxis in Morocco run over a fair­ly short route, from one large town to the next. If you want to travel further, you will have to change taxis from time to time. Some routes are covered routinely in stages (e.g. Agadir – Taroudannt, or Agadir – Taliouine) and taxi drivers will generally assist you in finding a connecting taxi and in settling the fare with the driver. Picking up a taxi on the road is much more problematic, since they will only stop if they have a place free.

Fares for set routes are fixed, and drivers do not usually try to overcharge tourists for a place. If you think that you are being over­ charged, ask the other passengers, or check the price with your hotel before leav­ing or, as a general guideline. Occasionally, five pas­sengers may agree to split the cost of the last place to hasten departure, or one pas­senger may agree to pay for two places. You will normally be expected to pay the full fare for the journey even if traveling only part of the way.

If you want to take a nonstandard route, or an excursion, it is possible to charter a whole taxi. In theory this should be exactly six times the price of a place in a shared taxi if the route has a set fare, but you’ll often have to bar­gain hard to get that. Hotels can sometimes be useful in helping to charter taxis.

Some people consider taxis in Morocco dan­gerous. It is certainly true that they are prone to practices such as speeding, and overtaking on blind curves or the brows of hills, and that they have more than their fair share of accidents. Drivers may work all day and into the night, and it seems a large num­ber of accidents involve them falling asleep at the wheel while driving at night, so you may wish to avoid using them for night-time journeys. Note also that with the seating arrangements, it is not usually possible to wear a seat belt.

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Filed Under: Morocco Travel - Tags: Casablanca Taxi, Marrakesh Taxi, Morocco Taxi, Taxi in Tangier