Rabat – The makers of the French app Heetch have collaborated with Moroccan taxis’ labor union to create the first legal transport application in Morocco: Fiddek.
You don’t have to wave forlornly or line up on the street anymore – Fiddek is now available to connect Casablanca’s residents with its taxi drivers.
Launched on November 17, the app is currently only available in Casablanca but eventually is planned to spread to other Moroccan cities.
The idea behind Fiddek and other “ridesharing” apps is simple: When you need a taxi you open up the app, which shows you all the cars nearby and how quickly one could reach you. You press a button, and you wait for the driver to show up at your current location.
“We are glad to join the Moroccan taxis labor union to launch this project. Indeed, by combining the technology of Heetch with the quality of service and the know-how of ‘Fiddek’ taxis, we contribute to improving Casablanca’s residents’ quality of life and in facilitating the task of taxi drivers,” said the director of Heetch in Morocco, Patrick Pederson.
Fiddek aims to be a high-quality service. The taxi labor union will recommend drivers according several criteria: cleanliness, conviviality, respect for the law, and others.
Heetch will allow the drivers to work in good conditions and have health insurance. But to benefit from these welfare benefits, drivers must to pass a training course by the Heetch Maroc team and by the national labor union of taxis.
Drivers working with Fiddek must also sign a quality charter, committing to drive an appropriate vehicle and provide safety, conviviality, and attention to details such as music and bottles of water on board
Taxis vs Uber and Careem
This initiative shows that Moroccan taxi drivers are changing their once-aggressive approach towards Uber and Careem. They are adopting a new strategy, “an honest competition,” by adopting the tools of their enemies to fight them.
Since the 2015 arrival of Uber, taxi drivers have protested the app, claiming they are losing clientele to an illegitimate service.
Casablanca’s streets have become a taxi war zone with numerous car chases, threats, and vandalized vehicles being reported as frustrated taxi drivers have taken matters into their own hands.
