Fès mobilizes €56 million for urban transport modernization

The city of Fès is establishing a local development company dedicated to urban and interurban mobility, with an investment program of 566 million dirhams over 2025-2035 to address transportation challenges in Morocco’s spiritual capital.

“Fès Mobilité SA” will launch with a 5-million dirhams initial capital, with Fès municipality holding 89.99% ownership alongside the Fès-Meknès regional authority and neighboring communes. The initiative responds to strategic mobility challenges in an agglomeration of 1.25 million inhabitants experiencing 11.3% population growth since 2014, exceeding national averages.

Current transportation infrastructure proves inadequate, with only 100 buses serving the city—deemed “very weak” for its size. Population projections indicate 1.368 million residents by 2030, intensifying demands on urban mobility systems that cannot meet growing transportation needs.

The investment program provides for acquiring 250 buses (300 million dirhams), implementing a ticketing system (16 million dirhams), constructing a maintenance center (100 million dirhams), and developing two bus rapid transit lines with dedicated equipment (150 million dirhams). Financing will leverage state support through the Transport Reform Support Fund (FART), aligning with national mobility modernization models.

Financial projections anticipate 96.1 million dirhams revenue over 2025-2035, with 79.5% from operator monitoring activities and 20.5% from municipal operating subsidies. Daily passenger numbers should increase from 82.13 million in 2025 to 113.46 million by 2035, with average fares at 4 dirhams per trip.

The initiative positions Fès for major international events including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and 2030 World Cup, requiring modernized transport infrastructure. With 231% charge coverage ratio ensuring financial equilibrium, the project promises sustainable urban mobility transformation.