In fact, as off November 1, public transport management will be assigned to the two companies, while the companies operating now will just leave the pitch.

Thus, these companies which have been in charge of bus transport in the two cities for about two decades received a letter from the authorities telling them to stop their activities by the end of October, a date which marks the end of their contracts.

The letter also told these companies to take the necessary measures in order to make this transition a smooth one and allow the new transport managing companies to exploit their respective regions in good conditions.

The old companies were told to pass on some of their equipment which is still in a good shape and some of their qualified personnel, mainly drivers, to the new companies.

By virtue of the contracts binding them with the state, Veolia and M'dina Bus will have to ensure their services in the best conditions and make the necessary investments.

In Rabat, for example, Veolia is required to launch in the region's streets 600 buses, 400 of which should be new, during the first 18 months.

However, the experience with M'dina Bus, which started operating a long time ago, shows that this is not always the case.

The company was required to launch 800 brand new vehicles during the first year of its work, but it bought only 200 ones and did not make the investment required as part of the contract their signed with the city's authorities.

But even if these two companies honor their commitment in terms of investment, the problem remains the fate of the hundreds of workers of the old companies, and their families, who will lose their source of income.