Daimler Buses has delivered 40 new Mercedes-Benz Capacity L vehicles to the Casa Transports SA transport authority in Casablanca. The CapaCity L buses are operated by operating company RATP Dev and will be deployed on the first two routes of the “Bus Rapid Transport” (BRT) network, which was inaugurated at the beginning of March 2024 in the North African economic hub.
The large-capacity buses operate continuously on separate bus lanes. Contract conclusion and delivery of the 21-meter-long large-capacity articulated vehicles is the responsibility of Auto Nejma, the Moroccan general distributor of Daimler Buses. In conjunction with the four existing tram routes in Casablanca, the four-door, large-capacity articulated buses with space for up to 177 passengers each make an important contribution to improving the transport infrastructure of the Moroccan metropolis. The buses have 58 seats and a high-performance air-conditioning system, entrance to the vehicles for people with reduced mobility is provided by manual folding ramps at doors 2 and 3 as well as two special-purpose areas
for baby carriages and wheelchairs. The driveline consists of an Euro VI diesel engines, OM 470, paired with a Voith Diwa automatic transmission. In addition to strengthening its transport network, Casablanca is also looking to significantly accelerate traffic flow and reduce CO2 emissions. The new BRT route system has a total length of 24.5 kilometres with 42 stops. The new bus route 1 runs from west to east, route 2 connects the south-western to the north-eastern districts of the city. Both BRT routes are closely networked and connected to the other parts of Casablanca’s public transport network infrastructure. The BRT routes in Casablanca, designed to boost decarbonization, serve an area with around 300,000
residents. The fast and regular scheduled bus connections reduce the schedule frequency at peak times to up to 5.5 minutes, ensured by a fully integrated and networked ITS traffic telematics system (ITS = Intelligent Transportation System). To use public transport more frequently ticket prices are subsidized and cost just six Dirhams (0.55 euros) per trip. The Casa Transports SA transport authority is responsible for public transportation in the entire Casablanca metropolitan area, including surrounding cities and municipalities.