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Join on Telegram Rabat – Civil protection teams in Fez extinguished a fire that broke out in the tires of a public bus near a busy shopping center in the city. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, caused no injuries as passengers immediately evacuated the bus.
Local media reported that authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, which is the latest in a string of accidents within the deteriorating state of public transportation in Fez. The city’s urban transport system has been a growing concern for residents, as many buses lack basic safety measures and are increasingly prone to mechanical failures.
This latest incident adds to the public outcry over Fez’s transportation crisis. Last September, a bus overturned in the Jnan El Ward district, leaving 52 people injured. The accident led to the withdrawal of several outdated vehicles from service, which reduced the city’s already strained fleet.
Mohamed Khayi, the head of the Justice and Development team in the Fez City Council, told 2M in October that several bus lines, including Line 3 and Line 53, are no longer operational. He noted that the city’s mayor informed opposition members during the first session of the regular October council meeting that a mixed committee had suspended several buses in light of the ongoing urban transport crisis and repeated accidents.
Khayi said that the solution lies in purchasing new buses as outlined in an agreement annex approved by the council, which allocated nearly MAD 43 billion to support urban transport in the city. However, he criticized the condition of the current fleet, describing it as mechanically dilapidated, while noting that the buses recently introduced into service are in even worse condition.
Read also: Fez Public Transportation Crisis Jeopardizes Social Security
These deteriorating conditions have raised questions about the management of Fez’s transportation sector. The authorized company, City Bus, has faced accusations of failing to meet the specifications outlined in its agreement with the city council. Critics argue that the company has prioritized profits over passenger safety as it continues to operate a fleet of run down buses that do not meet modern standards.
Fez’s transportation crisis dates back years. In late 2021, Mayor of Fez Abdeslam Bakkali denounced the worsening conditions of the city’s transportation network and criticized City Bus for continuing to operate 122 buses deemed unfit for service as per the specifications manual, even though they should have been discarded by 2018. Bakkali. The lack of sufficient buses and the poor state of existing vehicles gives us the authority to intervene and put an end to the crisis, he said.
To address these concerns, Bakkali demanded that City Bus provide 194 new buses, warning that any delays would result in daily penalties of up to MAD 100,000. The city assembly also assigned a judicial commissioner to notify the company of this decision, giving it a 30-day deadline to comply.
However, residents report no significant improvements and have actually grown increasingly disillusioned with the city’s inability to address their transportation needs. They have also voiced frustrations over the absence of accessible buses for people with disabilities, the elderly, and pregnant women, as well as the lack of direct lines for students.
