Two continents, forty-five minutes apart.

 

Just forty-five minutes is all it takes to get from Europe to Africa on the high-speed catamaran that plies the waters between Tarifa, Spain and Tangier, Morocco.

 

Arriving into Tangier in October 2019, it could be described as the start of a National Express odyssey as the city’s bus network has been ALSA operated since November 2013. The majority of city services throughout Morocco are now under ALSA control, the Spanish subsidiary of NE Group. Walking around Tangier, it is apparent that it is an affluent city but with some rough edges that are often associated with major ports. The buses certainly reflected the latter, not being helped by the rather dismal blue livery. The majority of the fleet is made up of aging Scania’s with a mixture of locally assembled bodies operating 44 routes and utilizing 192 buses.

 

                                                 Scania, operator ALSA, location Tangier

Leaving Tangier, it is time to board Africa’s first high-speed train, built using Spanish trains identical to those used in Europe. The line currently only runs to Casablanca, although most of the infrastructure is in place for the entire route to Marrakesh, the express due to arrive fifty years after Crosby, Stills and Nash sang about it.

 

Casablanca is an industrial city set on the Atlantic coast, not quite the dream setting of Ingrid Bergman but perhaps more suited to Sam. The population of 3.4m. is catered for by Casa Bus operating 66 urban and suburban routes, the city is also served by two tram routes. In 2019 ALSA won a fifteen-year contract to operate local services in Casablanca, initially operating 400 buses, which is due to expand to 700 during 2020. ALSA has ordered 500 Euro VI buses from Daimler (420 Conecto and 80 Conecto G) plus 200 Irizar i3le’s built on Scania 320UB4x2 chassis, to update the fleet. 150 of the vehicles have been purchased on behalf of L’ECI AI Baida, the local transport authority.   

 

                                                  Tata Hispano bodied bus in Casablanca

Departing Casablanca, heading north by road along the coastal plan past the Irizar factory, brings us to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, which is a cosmopolitan city with a population of 0.5m. Until quite recently, it was renowned for a shambolic public transport network operated by Stareo, a company that has been in financial difficulties for a number of years. ALSA won the tendering process and now operates in excess of 400 buses on 21 bus routes in the city. A modern two route tram system also crosses the city on segregated roadway.

          Operator ALSA, chassis Scania K250, body Higer, registration 482570WW, location Rabat. 

Heading inland via the walled city of Meknes to Tommy Cooper country, the city of Fez - the first city visited that does not have ALSA as the public transport provider. Fez, once a major city on the Trans-Saharan trade route, today sits at the crossroads to/from all the major cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.2m. With two medinas and a modern city, there is a lot of ground to cover. The modern part of the city is covered by an extensive bus network utilising buses in various states of repair, whilst the oldest medina is served by minibuses terminating at the old wall gate entrance.  Regrettably, finding information on the bus network is impossible.

 

                                                    Fez, Tata Hispano, registration 88544.

Finally, the journey south to Marrakesh. Marrakech is the fourth largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca, Fez and Tangier, with an urban area of 88.80 sq miles and a population of 953,305. Since 1999 ALSA has managed the transport network in the city, and is now operating 42 city routes, three suburban services and the one line BRT route utilizing 257 vehicles. The majority of buses are Scania which are built as knock-down kits at Scania's factory in Katrineholm. With so many tourists visiting the city, the bus network is probably the most accessible in Morocco, with several termini, clearly defined bus stops and readily available publicity. (Marrakesh was covered in detail in a previous article)

 

                                              ALSA, Marrakesh, Solaris, Urbino 18 hybrid.

Considering ALSA forms part of National Express, an operator with a wealth of experience in operating local and express services with easily accessible travel planning information, it is a pity none of this expertise filters down to Morocco. The ALSA website is abysmal, with emphasis on corporate values and no recognition for the demands of the travelling public, such as route planning and timetables. Perhaps if we inhaled some of the hippy smoke, all would be much clearer.

                                          Above: Tram in Casablanca. Below: Tram in Rabat.

Seville 2019

Seville, the capital of Andalusia, is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir River and is the fourth-largest city in Spain with a population of 705,325. The transport network is under the management of TUSSAM (Transportes Urbanos de Sevilla, Sociedad Anónima Municipal), a public company established in 1975 and belonging to the City. 

TUSSAM 170, 7934 FSV a CNG fuelled Irisbus 491E.12.27 CityClass with Noge Cittour body, new in 2007, operating route 34 on the narrow one-way Calle Trajano.
Currently 441 buses are operated with an additional 17 provided by contractors, between them carrying 81,497,883 passengers and covering 12.7m kilometres per annum. In the past year 43 new buses were delivered, of which 35 were 12m long and fitted with CNG (compressed natural gas) engines, and 8 were 10.5m long. The average age of the fleet stands at 9.6 years and by 2020, it is anticipated that 300 buses will be CNG powered. CNG powered buses were first introduced in 2009 and now account for 67% of the annual mileage, the remainder still relies on conventional diesel propulsion.

TUSSAM 1912, 8979 KFK Man NL 313F CNG with Castrosua CS40 City Versus II body in Plaza del Duque, on route 13.
The city has an extensive bus network of forty-six routes, most buses leaving from either Puerta de Jerez in the south of the city centre or Plaza Ponce de Leon in the east, and generally operate between 6 am and 11.30 pm. Popular with tourist are the circular services: C3 and C4 follow the ring road around the old city centre and C5, operated by a Mercedes Benz Sprinter, takes a circular route inside the old city. Tickets cost 1.40 euros per trip bought onboard, alternatively the rechargable Tarjeta Multiviaje travel card is available reducing the cost and can also be used on the tram.Opened in 2007, the single tram route (Metrocentro) T1 is the only public transport available to visitors entering the historical centre of the city around the cathedral and Royal Alcazar. It is just 2.2km long with five stops, and is operated by five CAF Urbos 3 articulated trams fitted with supercapacitors that allow for 2/3rds of the route to be operated catenary free. A rapid charge point is located on the platform outside the cathedral main entrance. Trams previously ran in Seville from 1866 until 1965.

TUSSAM tram 304 with the pantograph down sits under the rapid charge point on Avenue de la Constitucion. The five Urbos 3 articulated trams manufactured by CAF and delivered in 2011 run in battery mode on the catenary free section.
Located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, Plaza de Armas Bus Station is the focal point for long distance express services. It was built in 1991 as part of the Expo92 infrastructure and, since 2010, has been managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Consortium of the Seville Area. The station has 43 platforms with 1,500 arrivals and departures per day carrying 17,000 passengers on vehicles operated by 20 companies, DAMAS and ALSA being the most prominent. Thirty-six routes operate within the Metropolitan area with numerous national and international routes extending as far as Romania and Morocco. For those interested in trams, a restored car from the original Seville network sits on the main concourse.

DAMAS 1746 KW a Volvo B7BLE with Sunsundegui Astral body departs Plaza de Armas Bus Station on service 174 to Gines, a twenty minute journey to the west of Seville.
A final point of interest for bus enthusiasts is, unusually, the city sightseeing tours particularly those operated by Sevirama using former Nottingham Corporation East Lancs bodied Leyland Atlantean AN68/1Rs. Five are operated and these are supplemented by SE-6277-DL (JPE 233V), a former London Country Leyland Atlantean with Roe body, and two Volvo B9TL/Unvi Urbis 2.5 double-deckers. The Atlanteans were originally imported by Guide Friday in 2002 having been converted to open-top.

Sevirama British Fleet

New To	Fleet No.	Original Registration	Chassis	Chassis No.	Body	Body No.	Original Seating	Current Seating	Current Registration	Previous Registration
Nottingham	598	GVO 718N	Leyland AN68/1R	7403880	East Lancs	4013	H47/31D	O47/29C	SE-0032-BX
Nottingham	572	OTO 572M	Leyland AN68/1R	7302665	East Lancs	2534	H47/30D	O47/29C	SE-4063-BU	SE-2211-R2
Nottingham	575	OTO 575M	Leyland AN68/1R	7304430	East Lancs	2536	H47/30D	O47/29C	SE-4064-BU	SE-2213-R2
Nottingham	592	GTO 332N	Leyland AN68/1R	7404624	East Lancs	4007	H47/31D	O47/29C	SE-4065-BU	SE-2212-R2
Nottingham	591	GCR 881N	Leyland AN68/1R	7404342	East Lancs	4006	H47/31D	O47/29C	SE-4066-BU	SE-2214-R2
London Country	AN233	JPE 233V	Leyland AN68B/1R	7905103	Roe	GO 8287	H43/30F	O43/30C	SE-6277-DL

Sevirama SE-4065-BU, former Nottingham Leyland Atlantean GTO 332N stands at Plaza del Duque de la Victoria. Following close behind is a Volvo B9TL/Unvi Urbis of Compania Hispalense de Transvias in City Sightseeing colours.
Competition for sightseeing business is provided by 'Compania Hispalense de Transvias' operating the City Sightseeing franchise using modern Volvos with Unvi and Ayats bodies. Although reports suggest that they also operate two former British double-deckers, both MCW Metrobuses supplied by Ensignbus were new to London Transport (GYE 386W and WYW 61T), sadly neither were in evidence during the visit.  

DAMAS 453, 8318 KGS, Iveco Magelys PRO 12.2m, VIN VNE7257RX00002195, new in 2017. The DAMAS business originates from the 1920s when it first transported passengers between Ayamonte and Huelva. Today the business is the largest coach and bus company in Huelva province. Currently six national routes and one international route (Lagos, Portugal) are operated from Plaza de Armas Bus Station.
     

Seville is more than just oranges. A split city with the old centre located on the east bank and the modern heart located around the still very much in tact Expo92 site on the west bank, it provides plenty of opportunities for the casual visitor and transport enthusiast.

ALSA 3020, 7379 HBH, Mercedes Benz Travego 17RHD (WEB63224713102887), new in 2010, sits at traffic lights about to turn into Calle Torneo, having just departed  Plaza de Armas Bus Station. The destination blind shows route licence VJA-160 for service M-364.

ALSA Spain became part of the British owned National Express Group in 2005. The company can trace its history back to the 18th century but it wasn’t until 1923 the company Automobiles Luarca, SA (ALSA) was formed. Today it has a modern fleet of 3,465 buses, 9,719 staff and transport more than 358 million passengers per year.

TUSSAM 1056, Castrosua bodied Iveco Cityclass on Avenue Carlos V. The tram overhead wires are visible in the background on the segregated track, within a few yards the tram crosses a roundabout and the overhead wires cease.

TUSSAM 2475 KPS Mercedes Benz Sprinter City 65.77 in Plaza del Duque, on route C5 a circular route inside the old city.