Rabat – Moroccan Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit has acknowledged the urgent need to address the ongoing debate on regulating ride-sharing apps and announced that the government is conducting a study to find solutions to legalize these services in the near future.
Laftit made the statement during a meeting of the House of Councillors on Tuesday, in response to a question from parliamentary counselor Abdelkader El Kihel about tensions between taxi and ride-hailing drivers.
The minister called on all stakeholders to come together for discussions. He pointed out the need for dialogue, saying, “We must sit down and find a solution. We cannot continue like this.”
The minister admitted that ride-hailing apps operate in a legal gray area but are now a reality that cannot be ignored. “We cannot formally integrate ride-hailing cars yet, but we also cannot pretend they do not exist,” he said.
He also announced that his ministry is conducting an in-depth study to explore possible regulations for the sector. “Solutions will be developed very soon to legalize these apps, which would allow citizens to choose their preferred mode of transport,” he added.
The minister’s remarks come in the wake of persisting tensions between traditional taxi drivers and ride-sharing apps like inDrive, Careem, and Yango.
In recent years, multiple ride-sharing drivers have reported facing harassment and violence from taxi operators, who accuse them of unfair competition and illegal operation.
To make matters more complicated, inDrive drivers are not officially recognized by Moroccan transportation, though the company they operate under has legal status in Morocco.
InDrive recently released a statement in the wake of another attack targeting one of its drivers. The company denounced the incident and demanded an investigation into it to prevent future recurrences.
The company defended itself, saying that it is a “responsible taxpayer and employer” that operates in Morocco in “strict compliance with local laws and regulations.”
