Mohammedia News

A bus ride in the city of Mohammedia [Part-A]

At one time or another, you may need to ride a bus in the city of Mohammedia to go to school, university, or hospital. To go to a government building, workplace, or just take it for a little trip inside the city. But how comfortable the buses of the city of Mohammedia really are? To find out, I chose to ride for a number of days the 905 bus, which is no different from the other buses in the city and is operated by the Alsa company that was newly implemented into the public transportation system of Mohammedia. This bus line starts from El Fath II and ends at the train station, and it connects the west region of the city of Mohammedia to the east region. It has a lot of bus stops, and it is used by many people daily. This bus also brings people to the Sunday Souk from many places, as the Sunday Souk happens still regularly.

The 905 bus fare is relatively expensive; it cost five dirhams per one ride and for one bus rider; however, kids under four years old can ride for free. I don’t know if seniors have a special bus price, but students who wish to apply for a bus membership card can take advantage of a reduced bus price. It will cost them two hundred dirhams for two months of bus rides and one hundred dirhams for the insurance fee that is paid only once at the beginning when they apply.

Many students told me that the 905 bus is not reliable because it takes too long to come, and sometimes when it comes, it does not stop for them. And then the ones who can afford to pay extra money will take a taxicab in a hurry, but the majority will stay there patiently waiting for the next bus to show up; hopefully it will come quickly and stop for them as they may miss school. It says that this bus frequency is every 15 minutes, but this is not the reality.

https://moovitapp.com/index/en/public_transit-line-905-Casablanca-5496-1200685-41533973-0

We were waiting for a little longer than half an hour when the bus finally came, but we were anxious as it may again skip our bus stop, but it did not for this time. Although the bus was full, many got into it anyway. Thus, we were crowded very close together, as sardines are in cans. The bus driver was a man, but it can be a woman, too. He was in charge of collecting the money and providing change if need be. All transactions happened in silence at the bus front door before the bus started moving again. It is rare to see a smile on the bus driver’s face or hear him conversing with busgoers. No welcoming message either.