Moroccan taxi drivers operating in non-urban areas were briefly fined by the Royal Gendarmerie for displaying promotional stickers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, prompting renewed calls from transport professionals for clear authorization to use advertising on taxis.
Professional drivers shared complaints on social media after gendarmerie officers in the Talmest area near Essaouira issued citations over the stickers, despite prior coordination with Interior Ministry authorities that had approved the placement of AFCON promotional decals on the rear windows of taxis.
According to professional Hespress AR sources, the issue was resolved after local authorities intervened and clarified the matter to gendarmerie officers, highlighting the role of taxis in promoting the continental tournament. Fines related to the incident were halted, the sources said.
The episode has reignited demands from taxi unions for formal authorization to allow advertising on taxi vehicles. Mustafa Al-Kayhal, secretary-general of the Moroccan Democratic Transport Union, said taxi professionals in Casablanca are calling on the Interior Ministry to grant permits for advertising on taxi windows and bodywork.
Such permits are typically issued by elected local councils in coordination with the ministry’s central services, Al-Kayhal said, noting what he described as a contradiction between encouraging promotional stickers for a major sporting event while maintaining a ban on private commercial advertising.
He said allowing advertising would provide drivers with additional income and help modernize the sector, improving services for passengers.
Separately, Abdelrahim Al-Harras, head of the Karama Association for Taxi Drivers in Rabat, said similar incidents around the capital were resolved early on. He said gendarmerie officers in areas such as Ain Atiq and Ain Aouda initially enforced regulations related to rear-view visibility, but withdrew fines once they learned the stickers were part of a national initiative to promote Morocco and support the success of the Africa Cup of Nations.
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