Best Tips

1. The official website is oncf.ma. It is in French, English and Arabic and is pretty easy to navigate. Look just below the oncf logo to see the language options.
2. Trains run pretty close to schedule most of the time.
3. It is easy to get tickets. Get to the train station 20 minutes a head of your train and you should have no problems.  We suggest you arrive much earlier on holidays.
4. You can get either first or second class tickets. Second class is not a bad option, but on busier trains you can be left without a seat. First class you will definitely have a seat.
5. The new fast trains are really great. Maybe a year and a half ago, Morocco introduced the faster trains, that stop less often. They are very nice and comfortable as well. They run every few hours, if you look at the schedule and the times of departure and arrival you can figure out if they run on your travel path. If they do, they are worth getting.
6. Beware of the bathrooms. The bathrooms on the trains can be a little rough. Make sure to pack your own toilet paper, as this is often lacking. Hand sanitizer is a plus, because there is often no soap as well.
7. The snack cart and snack bar. Depending on your train there will be a snack cart that comes around or a snack bar to purchase food at. Nothing fancy, but not too bad. Soft drinks, coffee, water, chips, candy bars, sandwiches are all available.
8. Hold on to your ticket. It will be checked once you are on the train, and in case their is a discrepancy about seats it is good to have.
9. Train Salesmen. There are a rare class of individuals who ride the trains looking to sell you on something, whether it be their brother’s carpet shop that you should visit, their family’s riad or any number of other activities. If there is someone in your car who is extremely talkative to you, or overly friendly, you might be by one of the train salesmen. Just so you know.
10. Luggage- most of the trains have luggage racks above the seats in your compartments. The one downside to the new fast trains, is these luggage racks are pretty small.
11. Time of Day: The time of day you travel on the train can effect you as well. Morocco can get really hot in the summer and the AC on trains is not always the most reliable.  A 4 hour midafternoon train ride between Marrakesh and Rabat in the summer can be sweltering. So if you have the options, it pays to think ahead and time your trip to be in a cooler part of the day.
12. Where is my stop? One of the harder things about the train is knowing what stop is what. Often times they don’t announce what stop you are at, nor what stop is coming, nor do they have electronic maps letting you know you are getting close. The simplest solution is to ask someone in your compartment. They will be happy to help. Moroccans are very friendly and helpful as far as giving directions and often will go out of their way to help you out.

We proceeded to chat about her travels in Morocco and then she said, “You know, the only thing is, I have had such trouble with taxis and getting them to use the meter, here in Marrakesh.”

That conversation spawned this post, The Ultimate Guide to Taxis in Morocco.

First we start off with some taxi basics that are important for you to know:

1. There are two types of taxis in Morocco: Petit and Grande. The petit taxis are the ones you use to travel within the city. These are various colors depeding on the city. Blue in Rabat, Red in Fez, Beige in Marrakesh and so on.  The Grande Taxis are typically white/tan and they run between cities, to the airports, within cities on fixed routes and are available for private hire.
2. 4 People Maximum in a Petit Taxi, 7 in a Grande Taxi. In a petit taxi only four people are allowed (including the driver, infants and small children). This means if you are a family of four, you will need to plan on taking two taxis everywhere. Petit taxis can also be split between people. So if you see a petit taxi with one or two people in it and it is going in your direction, you can flag it down and ask for a lift. Grande taxis cram in 7 people total including the driver, so that can make for a tight squeeze.
3. Petit Taxis and the Meter: By law, petit taxis are required to use their meter. If they don’t use the meter, then technically, you can pay them whatever you feel like when you reach a destination. If a taxi doesn’t use the meter and you pursue this technicality, it is not always greeted with kindness to say the least. At night the meter runs at a time and a half. The beginning of night time changes with the season, but all taxis should have a laminated displayed in their car that displays the time the rates change. On taxis with a newer electronic meter, your final rate at night will be shown. On the older taxis with an older style meter, you take the final price and multiply it by a time and a half to get the price. You do not need to tip, but you can if you want to.
4. Grande Taxis and Payment: If you take a grande taxi on a fixed city route, or a fixed inbetween city route, you typically pay for a seat a certain fixed price. If you hire the taxi for yourself, you would arrange the price with the driver. Some places have fixed prices, and for some prices you can bargain. Again you do not need to tip, but you can if you want to.

There you have it: Morocco taxi basics 101. Beyond that here are a few things to keep in mind, that will help you navigate the taxi waters.

Beyond the Basics

Most of the problems people encounter regarding taxis come over payments. We live in Rabat, we take taxis all the time. 99 times out of 100 there is never a problem.  The only places where consistent problems arise are in navigating near highly touristed areas. The train station at Marrakesh, Jmaa al Fnaa, the Rabat airport etc. Why is this? Tourism is a big industry for Morocco. Much of the domestic development is focused on expanding tourism for the impact it will have on the economy. Buildings are being built, resorts are being made, millions of people are coming. Taxi drivers would like a piece of that pie as well. Can you blame them? Average income per capita in Morocco about 1300 USD.  You might spend more on your dinner in Marrakesh than your taxi driver is going to make that month.

Now, I hate getting ripped off as much as the next guy, but before your blood starts to boil, just remember that stat. Secondly, a cab in the UK for a 7 minute ride in November of 08 cost me 15 pounds by the meter. A 7 minute cab ride in Morocco would cost about a pound and a half, max. So, even if you end up paying more than you think is fair, as you shake your fist and bemoan the woes of humanity, just remember it is still less than what you would have paid for the same service in every European/US major city that I know of.

Now, here are some things you can do to have an enjoyable and agreeable experience with the taxis.

1. Don’t pay with large bills. Large bills in Morocco are like the plague. Every one is trying to get rid of them. Try and avoid paying with your 200 dirham note to pay for a 20 dirham taxi ride.
2. Arrange the price on the front end for private hire. If you are taking a private hire grand taxi arrange the price before you leave.
3. If you are in a highly touristed area, expect most taxis to not use the meter. Now, depending on who you are and your holiday plans, you can just roll with the punches or you can continue to look for taxis. If you can get away from a highly touristed area, your driver will probably use the meter.
4. Ask them to use the meter: If a taxi driver doesn’t use the meter, ask them to. Sometimes it works !
5. Police can help: A grizzled taxi veteran gave me this trick once. I would only pull it out in real need. I trust that you will do the same. If you see a policeman standing around, you can tell him your plight and kindly ask him to help you get a taxi. You can be sure the taxi driver will use the meter if the policeman asks him to.

The bottom line in my opinion though is to relax and enjoy your holiday. If you spend all your energy frustrated about a certain taxi where you payed 10 dirhams more than you should have, it will just eat your lunch and you won’t enjoy the great things and people around you. So as a good rule of thumb, loosening up on a Western, justice oriented, “This is my right!” mentality  is a good rule of thumb when traveling in Morocco.