Agadir Launches First Bus Rapid Transit Line After Years of Delays

Marrakech – Agadir officially launched its first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line this month, putting into service a system branded “Amalway TRAMBUS” that connects the city’s port to the Tikiouine district over a 15.5 km route with 35 stations.

First conceived during the city’s 2014 Urban Mobility Plan, the project was repeatedly postponed from its original 2022 target. It was pushed back to 2023, then to 2024, and entered experimental operation in April 2026 before the official May launch.

The BRT line is managed by the Société de Développement Local Agadir Mobilité; it runs on dedicated lanes and is designed to carry up to 60,000 passengers daily. Buses will run at five-minute intervals during peak hours, covering the full route in approximately 45 minutes.

The fleet consists of 30 articulated buses, 18 to 21 meters long, manufactured at MAN’s plant in Poland and fitted with onboard systems at the SEFAMAR MAN Morocco facility in Casablanca.

The route follows a north-south-east axis through central Agadir. It starts at the fishing port and Marina, runs along Avenue Mohamed V, turns onto Avenue Kettani to reach Avenue Hassan II, then continues through the Kamra and Al Massira intersections.

It passes through the Dakhla neighborhood, serves Ibn Zohr University, crosses through Hay Essalam and Hay Houda, and terminates near the Tikiouine market.

The project falls under Agadir’s Urban Development Program (PDU), signed in February 2020. Its total budget has grown from an initial MAD 1.2 billion ($120 million) to approximately MAD 1.4 billion ($140 million).

Financing came from multiple sources: the Transport Reform Support Fund (FRAT) contributed MAD 378 million ($37.8 million), the Souss-Massa Region provided MAD 160 million ($16 million), and the Commune of Agadir added MAD 302 million ($30.2 million).

The French Development Agency (AFD) signed a separate financing agreement worth €33 million, roughly MAD 344 million ($34.4 million), structured as a 20-year repayable credit with a five-year grace period.

The loan carries a sovereign guarantee from the Moroccan Treasury, with repayments handled through the FRAT. The AFD also provided €300,000 in technical assistance for the operator’s early management phase.

AFD Morocco Director Catherine Bonnaud described the Agadir BRT as part of a long-term partnership the agency has built with Moroccan public actors over more than three decades. She told reporters the project reflects AFD’s focus on mobility investments that support urban low-carbon transition.

Beyond transport, the project included an extensive urban redesign along the BRT corridor. Sidewalks were widened, green spaces were added, and building facades along the route were renovated.

A state-of-the-art maintenance and storage center was built, and all 35 stations were equipped with real-time passenger information screens, electronic ticketing, and video surveillance.

The line is designed as the backbone of Greater Agadir’s public transport network. It connects to existing bus routes and future exchange hubs at five key points, including the fishing port, Vallée des Oiseaux, Place Salam, Souk El Had, and the Tikiouine terminus. The goal is to enable transfers to suburban lines serving Anza, Aourir, and Taghazout.

The current bus network is operated by Alsa under a delegated management contract set to expire, serving about 150,000 daily riders across 36 lines.

A new tender for the combined operation of the BRT and conventional bus network is being prepared after a previous procurement was annulled. The broader restructuring aims to reorganize routes around the BRT as the system’s central axis.

Greater Agadir invested over MAD 1 billion ($100 million) in urban mobility in 2025 alone, with 169 new-generation buses already deployed across the conventional network and 78 more planned for 2026.