About Morocco: Transportation
Petit Taxi
Petit taxis (petit taxi literally means small taxi) are by far the best means of transportation in Moroccan cities. Compared with taxi fares in any western city, they are incredibly cheap. And, unlike a bus or grand taxi, a petit taxi can take you nearly anywhere — inside the city limits it is operating in, that is. A petit taxi cannot leave its city: in Rabat, they are not permitted to go to Salé even though the two cities are separated by a bridge only (you'll have to get a grand taxi for that).
The petit taxis have a unique color, depending on the city they operate in: they are blue in Rabat, red in Casablanca, yellow-ochre in Marrakech and Fes, turquoise in Meknes and so on. A petit taxi can take 3 passengers only.
The minimal fare is around 5 Dh. Add 50% to the cost of your ride during the night (starting around 8-9pm).
A word of advice: In most Moroccan cities, taxi drivers are honest and they will turn their taximeter on immediately. But in a tourist mecca like Marrakech, they will frequently try to rip you off by setting arbitrary prices. If the driver doesn't want to turn the taximeter on, tell him to stop and leave his taxi and look for the next one.
Grand taxi
Grand taxis are available all over Morocco and they can take you to any city or village. Unlike the petit taxis, the grand taxis do not have a counter/taximeter and the price for your ride has to be negotiated in advance.
The ride prices for grand taxis that are departing from airports to the nearest city are fixed and displayed on panels. In cities, however, you'll have to negotiate the price of your ride. For example, a ride from the Mohammed V airport to Casablanca city centre is around 250 Dh. You will pay less if you manage to find someone that goes to your destination and with whom to share the expenses.
All the grand taxis are Mercedeses. They can take 6 passengers (!) in addition to the driver. This is allowed in Morocco: in a grand taxi, you will often see two persons sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver and four in the back.
Bus
A city bus in Morocco is a very cheap means of transportation. A ride usually costs around 3 Dh. A petit taxi is a far better option for a city ride than a bus. Buses have to follow their predetermined routes and can be somewhat dangerous: there have been reports of people being robbed on bus lines.
Buses that travel between cities are a good choice, especially if you have to get to a place that isn't anywhere near a train station. The best bus company in Morocco is CTM, which has very clean buses with air conditioning (which is important during summer).
Train
Trains in Morocco are the best way to travel around the country. They are very clean, reliable and almost always come on time. The second class carriages are really cheap, while for a little more money you can travel in the air-conditioned first class, which is much more comfortable.
The Moroccan national railway company (ONCF — Office national des chemins de fer) is taking really good care of its customers: train stations throughout Morocco are well-equipped and clean and the personnel is very friendly. To check out the train departure schedules and ticket prices, please visit their official website listed below.
Currently, there are 3 main directions covered by railway in Morocco:
- Tangier-Kenitra-Rabat-Casablanca
- Casablanca-Marrakech
- Oujda-Fes-Meknes-Kenitra
There is also a train line which connects Casablanca to the Mohammed V international airport.
In October 2007, Morocco has signed a big contract with France to build a high-speed train line (like the TGV in France) between Tangier and Casablanca. This train should come online in 2013.
Car
Going around Morocco in a car is easy between the main cities, because they are all connected with highways. The highways in Morocco are:
- North-south, the one which follows Morocco's Atlantic coast: Tangier-Rabat-Casablanca-El-Jadida
- Rabat-Meknes-Fes
- Casablanca-Marrakech (still under construction, completed until Settat)
What's curious is that on most of these highways you must pay the toll in advance.
If you want to reach other popular destinations, like the dunes and the desert beyond the High Atlas mountains, and southern resorts like Agadir or Essaouira, you will have to use regional and local roads, which are a lot less safe than the highways.
A word of advice: Moroccan roads are very dangerous. However chaotic it may seem, the traffic in Moroccan cities is a lot safer than on regional and local roads. Drive very carefully and do not expect the local drivers to comply with the usual traffic laws, rules and regulations. They will ususally surpass other vehicles suddenly, without activating the directional signal. Sometimes, the driver will just stretch his hand out of the window and wave a little bit or turn the palm towards the vehicle behind him to signal that he's going to make a turn or surpass someone.
A lot of roads are damaged, having holes in them, missing the protective curbs (even on High Atlas) or, like in the south, being partly covered by sand. Keep your eyes open at all times and do not drive fast!