Morocco is renewing its urban bus fleets through a national programme covering 37 delegated authorities, 84 cities and urban areas and nearly 3,800 buses, with a budget of almost MAD 11 billion (about USD 1.06 billion). The programme also includes intelligent fleet management and passenger information systems, which makes the data layer, not only the vehicles, a core part of the modernisation. For operators and authorities, the question is no longer whether to buy buses but how to get reliable as-run data out of them.
This article summarises what has been publicly reported on the programme, the city-level fleet launches, the BRT and tramway lines, and what each of them implies for AVM, ticketing and passenger information. All figures come from public sources listed at the end; where reported numbers differ between phases, we say so.
What is Morocco's urban bus programme?
The first deliveries of the 2025 to 2029 Urban Public Transport by Bus Programme arrived at the port of Casablanca in October 2025: 257 buses, split between Marrakech (49), Agadir (40), Tangier (56), Tetouan (68) and Benslimane (44). The programme follows a delegated management model developed by the Interior Ministry with local authorities. In practice, each city or group of communes sets up a delegated authority, and a private or public operator runs the service under contract.
One detail matters for anyone working on technology. The buses were sent to a logistics platform to have on-board systems installed before entering service. According to the reporting, these systems are meant to support fleet management and data sharing among the Interior Ministry, local authorities and operators. The reporting also lists intelligent management and passenger information systems among the programme's components.
How are Moroccan cities renewing their fleets?
The launches reported in late 2025 show different operating choices from one city to the next.
- Marrakech: 207 new-generation buses entered service in December 2025, part of a 349-vehicle renewal programme worth MAD 717.48 million (about USD 71.7 million). Supratours, a subsidiary of the national railways office ONCF, took over from ALSA, which had run the city's transport for 26 years. The redesigned network has 67 lines covering 1,342.7 km. A further 15 electric buses were awaiting delivery. The buses include real-time passenger information, ticketing and operational assistance technology, with a related investment of MAD 110.31 million.
- Fez: 154 buses launched as the first phase of a 268-vehicle programme, with a global investment above MAD 620 million. The service is operated by Issal Fez under the delegated model and also serves Meknes, Taounate and Taza.
- Tangier: a 10-year contract with CTM-Transdev for 280 Yutong buses under delegated management.
- Agadir: 134 buses launched as a first phase, with the fleet planned to grow to 247, serving 18 communes including Inezgane, Ait Melloul and Taroudant.
Reported figures sometimes differ between phases and sources. For example, the Marrakech count in the October 2025 delivery report (49 buses delivered, with more to follow) is not the same as the 207 vehicles in service in December. Treat all of these numbers as indicative and check the source for the date.
Where do BRT and tramway lines fit in?
Buses are one layer. Rail and bus rapid transit make up another.
- Rabat: the tramway opened in 2011 with two lines covering about 20 km. A third phase adds 45 km, with commissioning scheduled for 2030, according to engineering firm Setec, which is working on the studies.
- Casablanca: BHNS lines L5 and L6, a bus rapid transit system, have been in service since March 2024 and extend over about 25 km.
- World Bank programme: in July 2026, Hespress reported that the World Bank was preparing to approve a USD 350 million Programme for Results loan, within a total investment of nearly USD 1 billion co-financed by the Moroccan state. The first phase covers Rabat, Tangier and Marrakech, with four BRT lines totalling nearly 50 km in Rabat, one line of about 20 km in Tangier and one line in Marrakech. The programme includes electronic ticketing, modernised fleet management systems and modernised traffic regulation systems, and runs over five years.
The institutional side is also moving: the programme strengthens the Directorate of Urban Mobility and Transport (DMUT) under the Interior Ministry and consolidates the Transport Reform Support Fund (FRAT).
What does this mean for the data layer?
When fleets are bought in large batches by several operators in several cities, three data questions come up quickly.
- Who owns the as-run data? With delegated management, the operator runs the service while the authority sets quality standards and monitors compliance. The contract should say who owns positions, trips operated, punctuality and kilometres, and in what format they can be exported.
- Can the same system work across vehicle makes and operators? Several of the reported fleets are Yutong buses, but operators change (ALSA to Supratours in Marrakech, for instance). A system tied to one operator's onboard hardware makes such transitions costly.
- Which open formats are required? GTFS and GTFS-RT are the usual starting point for passenger information, with SIRI and NeTEx for larger or more integrated networks. See our overview of the real-time data standard each European country requires for how requirements differ between countries.
These questions are close to those faced elsewhere when EU funds or national programmes buy the fleet first. We discuss the same pattern in Eastern Europe's bus boom.
How should an operator or authority evaluate technology options this year?
Start from the outcome, then check the foundations.
- Define the outcomes: punctuality measured per stop, trips operated versus planned, kilometres, passenger information accuracy. Our AVM features checklist for 2026 lists what to specify.
- Separate hardware from software: ask whether the AVM runs on standard devices such as smartphones or tablets or requires a dedicated onboard computer. See hardware-light versus hardware-heavy bus tracking.
- Check subcontracted services: in delegated models, part of the service may be run by subcontractors with their own vehicles. See how to track subcontractor performance in public transport.
- Choose by data quality, not by feature count: how to choose an AVM system for bus operators walks through the selection criteria.
Pysae is a SaaS AVM platform for public transport operators. It runs on standard devices and is priced per vehicle, adapted to each network.
Frequently asked questions
How many buses is Morocco buying under its urban bus programme?
The 2025 to 2029 programme plans nearly 3,800 buses across 37 delegated authorities, representing 84 cities and urban areas, with a budget of almost MAD 11 billion. The first phase delivered 257 buses in October 2025.
Who operates the new bus networks?
Operators vary by city. Marrakech is now run by Supratours, a subsidiary of ONCF, which took over from ALSA. Fez is operated by Issal Fez, and Tangier has a 10-year contract with CTM-Transdev. All follow the delegated management model overseen by the Interior Ministry.
What digital systems are included in the programme?
Reporting mentions intelligent fleet management and passenger information systems, on-board systems installed at a logistics platform before service, and, in the World Bank programme, electronic ticketing, fleet management and traffic regulation systems.
Sources: Morocco World News, "Morocco receives 257 new buses to boost urban transport network" (October 2025); Morocco World News, "Marrakech: 207 out of 349 new buses worth USD 71.7 million enter service" (December 2025); Morocco World News, "Fez launches 154 new buses as Morocco modernizes urban transport" (December 2025); Hespress, "Mobilité urbaine : un prêt de 350 M$ prévu pour le programme national" (July 2026); Setec, "TCSP: tramway or bus rapid transit in Morocco" (September 2024).