Instead of train or bus, using taxis to get from city to city in Morocco can often be a more affordable and flexible alternative. Here is a simple guide to the sometimes intimidating process.
We would strongly recommend using long-distance taxis in Morocco for certain routes as it can often save time (less stops sometimes than a bus), save money (usually cheaper than a bus) and sometimes even drops you off close to the city center (many bus stations are on the outskirts of towns, most Taxi Collectives are closer to the center.)
It can also be an interesting way to see the countryside outside of the bubble of the bus or train.
Some key terms:
Grand Taxi: Big taxi, refers to taxis used for long-distance travel between cities.
Petit Taxi: Small taxi, refers to local taxis used within a metropolitan area.
Taxi Collective: The local taxi organization that organizes taxi services, also often refers to the location of the biggest taxi stand for regional / long-distance taxi travel.
Yellow-Vest Guy: Un-official term, but as you will see in this summary, and when you travel with taxis in Morocco yourself, the “Yellow-Vest Guy” is an indispensable part of the process.
Where To Begin
Most cities in Morocco will have major Taxi Stands for inter-city travel and longer distance journeys. Any local taxi driver in a given city will know where to take you if you ask to go to “Taxi for Chefchaouen” or “Taxi for Fes”. They will take you to the right place.
The term that is often used is “Taxi Collective”. If you use this term, it can also point you in the right direction. If you ask a local taxi driver to take you to the “Taxi Collective, Chefchouen” or “Taxi Collective, Fes” this will also work.
These taxis are often referred to as “grand” (big), so this is a third way you can refer to them and distinguish from local “petit” (small) taxis.
For example, in Tangier, the major Taxi Collective is located next to one of the major regional bus stations. Here, there are lines of Taxis constantly being filled up and pushed out for frequent tourist destination such as Chefchaouen, Tétouan, Ceuta, and more.
Getting in the Taxi, negotiating a rate
This is definitely the most hectic and daunting part of the process.
Some Taxi Collectives like Tangier are extremely well organized and surprisingly efficient, with extra staff in yellow-vests (or just seemingly random people in regular street clothes) directing lost travelers, Moroccan and foreign alike, in the right direction.
In other towns and cities, it will be a disorderly parking lot filled with yelling drivers and one, unhappy, overworked coordinator in a yellow-vest trying to tie it all together.
In summary, approach and make friends with the yellow-vest guy /person who seems to be in charge.
Tell them the city/town you are going to and how many people you are traveling with.
They will then point you in the direction of the correct taxi / line of taxis. To add to the confusion, occasionally these staff members are not wearing yellow vests… so simply look and yell and listen until you find the person who seems to be running things…. seriously.
If you are having trouble finding someone who can help, first listen. You’ll likely be able to hear several town names being shouted out, gravitate to yours. If this fails, just ask around, locals and taxi drivers will generally know where you should go.
Next, confirm with the taxi driver that you are at the correct taxi, confirm the amount of seats you need are available and now make sure you get a fair price.
For the price, generally, you will NOT need to do much negotiating. There are very well-known, established fares for taxi-rides between cities. Make sure you ask the staff at your hostel/ hotel and research online prior. Just ensure the taxi driver isn’t charging you more than this amount. Also ask the other travelers how much they are paying to confirm, sometimes the fares increase due to fluctuating fuel costs etc..
Returning to the yellow-vest guy subject, remember that the more chaotic the Taxi Collective, the more you should remind the staff member that you’re still there in need of a taxi.
For the most part we found that the yellow-vested staff members actually put in extra effort to help foreign tourists, and rarely forgot about us no matter how long it seemed since we last reminded them of our existence amid the clamor and chaos of whatever sun-baked parking lot we were in.
Depending on the frequency of taxis, time of day, and size of the Taxi Collective / town you’re in, you may need to wait a while for your taxi to be filled. This is part of the trade-off of using this method.In major cities, like Tangier, the wait should be no more than 10 to 15 minutes.
We never waited more than 30 minutes.
The Taxi Ride
Once you’re in the Taxi, the hard part is done, you just need to sit, but there are some tips on this as well.
Most long distance taxis will have at least one rest stop to get food and use the bathroom.
At this stop, be sure to confirm with the driver how long you have and ask them to point you in the direction of the best bathroom (not always apparent).
Most drivers will tell you 20 minutes when you actually stop for 40 minutes. So be flexible.
If you have baggage strapped to the top of the taxi, don’t be embarrassed to check on it at the rest stop. Once we found that one of Amanda’s flip-flops would have certainly gone with the wind once the taxi started up again had we not checked on the bags and re-secured one of the straps.
Getting out and on to the next Taxi / Destination
When you arrive at the the end of your ride, you may be at your destination city, or you may be piecing together a multi-taxi journey, either way, you’ll need to get out and find a taxi for the next leg of your journey.
For this, simply refer to the directions above and you should be set.
Here are locations of Major Taxi Collectives in:
Tangier – for taxis to most points south and Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen – for taxis to the major tourist destination, Akchour Falls
Chefchaouen – for most major destinations north such as Tangier
Chefchaouen – for taxis to most destinations south, such as Ouezzane / in the direction of Meknes and Fes
Ouezzane – for all major destinations
Meknes – for taxis to Rabat and Fes and most major destinations
Fes – for taxis to Meknes and Rabat and most major destinations
We hope that helps you in your travels in Morocco! Post below with any questions or suggestions on info to add to the article.
Happy trails!
West Road Adventures 