Grand taxis

I've written before about the various modes of public transportation available in Morocco, including grand taxis. T and I often rely on grand taxis to get us to nearby cities. It is a convenient and affordable, if not particularly comfortable, option – we can go to Azrou, about 20 km away, for less than one dollar each, and to Meknes or Fez, both of which are around 60 km away, for around three dollars each.

What I haven't written about is the taxis themselves. Grand taxis are all old Mercedes Benz's and are, almost as a rule, beat up, shabby, and rather funky smelling. And yet their drivers take great care in decorating their cars and are inventive when it comes to maintenance and repair. It is common to see religious symbols hanging off the rearview mirrors, particularly the protective hand of Fatima. You might see bouquets of fake flowers decorating the dashboard. One taxi I have been in more than once is entirely covered on the inside with a cheerful plastic fish print, like something you might see on a shower curtain in a middle-class Midwestern home. Another taxi driver has toy spiders on his dashboard. Other drivers are fond of ornately decorated tissue box holders. 

I have seen more than one taxi with these drain protectors in place of missing air vents.

And why shouldn't these drivers decorate their taxis? If you think about it, the taxi is the driver's office. In some cases, it is even his home. A friend of mine talked to a taxi driver who sleeps in his car (in Ifrane! In the winter!) because he works too far away from his hometown to return home during the work week. I think this also helps to explain the funky smell in many grand taxis.

Grand taxi drivers have a tough job.T and I often regret that language differences prevent us from talking to our taxi drivers, but even when we are in taxis with Moroccans, they rarely speak to the drivers. Drivers must have long, exhausting days. I remember one driver in particular who we were rather concerned about. In January, when we flew into Fez from Sevilla, we chartered a grand taxi from the airport. Our driver was clearly tired, and I remember being relieved when he stopped in Immouzer for coffee.

(Not to digress too much, but I remember also feeling a little worried when that driver stopped for coffee. As far as I knew, there was no such thing as "to go" coffee in Morocco. I thought we would be sitting in the taxi for a long time waiting for him to sip his coffee in the café. I should have known that the workers at the café would just give him coffee in a glass, expecting him to return the glass later on his way back to Fez. That's the kind of thing that's normal in Morocco.)

So here's to the grand taxi drivers, who work long, hard days, who get us where we need to go, with little thanks.