As of January 1, 2025, parking licenses will no longer be renewed for car park attendants throughout Casablanca. This suspension was notified by an administrative circular from mayor Nabila Rmili, dated December 31, 2024. This is good news for the people of Casablanca, who have been putting up with the actions of these self-proclaimed «car park attendants» for years.
This suspension comes at a time when the municipality wishes to bring order to the parking sector. As a result, the main thoroughfares will be in the «parking meters» zone, while backstreets will be subject to authorizations granted by the boroughs (with specific outfits and adapted, regulated rates), explains a source at the municipality.
This is a prerequisite for the reorganization of the parking sector, which has been invaded by rentiers. In fact, the people who hold the permits are not necessarily the ones who operate them, leading to anarchy and impacting on the municipality’s revenues. In 2024, parking revenues did not exceed 5 million dirhams (USD 500.00). «This is laughable! This sector should generate at least 20 million dirhams (USD 2 million) / year», says Abdessadek Morchid, president of the Maârif district and spokesman for the Casablanca municipality. The latter has not granted permits on its territory since 2021. Today, his decision has been ratified by a national institution. «This is a first! The complaint lodged by guards with the Kingdom’s Ombudsman Institution has just been rejected», he asserts.
Whereas previously, the granting of licenses was managed directly by the borough presidents, the municipality has now taken over this issue, in order to bring order to the sector. A number of scenarios are being studied, including the integration of car park attendants into the Casa-Baïa SDL (Local Development Corporation) (which manages car parking in the city) and the identification of zones with «car park attendants» (on condition that the licensee operates the business himself). The granting of licenses will be subject to stricter conditions, with priority being given to social cases (widows, people with reduced mobility, etc.).
For some time now, the main thoroughfares, including pay-and-display zones, have been squatted by people who impose themselves as guards and extort money from motorists. The phenomenon is encouraged by the local authorities, who issue parking badges under opaque conditions.
As a reminder, a major mobilization took place in 2021 on social media. More than 100,000 citizens pointed the finger at the sometimes aggressive behavior of «car park attendants».
Aziza EL AFFAS
