The programme covers a broad section of Morocco’s transport industry, including taxis, buses, tourist vehicles and freight carriers. By directing support toward professional operators rather than subsidizing fuel for every motorist, the government is seeking to contain costs in areas where higher energy prices can quickly spread throughout the wider economy.
Fuel distributors raised prices by roughly one Moroccan dirham per litre in early August. Diesel climbed to around MAD 14.30, or approximately $1.53 per litre, from MAD 13.30, while premium petrol increased to about MAD 15.24, or $1.63 per litre. Actual prices vary according to distributor and location.
The increase followed another adjustment less than three weeks earlier, reversing some of the relief motorists had experienced when fuel prices declined earlier in the year. For commercial transport companies, repeated increases can quickly raise operating expenses and eventually affect passenger fares and the cost of moving food and other goods around the country.
Morocco has responded by shifting toward a more flexible system of targeted assistance. The government now distributes support twice a month, allowing payments to respond more closely to changes in international oil and refined-fuel markets. The approach provides authorities with a mechanism to intervene when costs rise without restoring broad fuel subsidies for the entire population.
The targeted programme was reinstated in March after international energy prices rose sharply. By March 25, authorities had received 67,951 applications covering 95,660 commercial vehicles. The electronic system has previously been used to provide assistance for roughly 170,000 vehicles, demonstrating the scale of Morocco’s professional transport network.
The renewed support is particularly important because Morocco remains heavily dependent on imported energy. The country imports about 90 percent of its energy requirements and has relied entirely on imported petrol and diesel since its only refinery, Samir, stopped operating in 2015. That dependence leaves domestic prices particularly exposed to disruptions in international energy markets.
Morocco spent MAD 107.56 billion, or approximately $11.5 billion, on energy imports in 2025, even after the bill declined by about 5 percent from the previous year. International disruptions earlier in 2026 subsequently pushed local petrol and diesel prices sharply higher, prompting the government to introduce additional measures to contain the impact on households and businesses.
In May, authorities announced plans to add MAD 20 billion, roughly $2 billion, to the 2026 budget to absorb higher energy expenses and other unexpected economic pressures. At the time, Budget Minister Fouzi Lekjaa said support for transport and electricity was costing the state about MAD 648 million, or roughly $70 million, each month.
The policy represents a more targeted approach than Morocco’s previous system of widespread fuel subsidies. The government removed general diesel subsidies in 2014 as part of reforms intended to reduce the fiscal burden of maintaining domestic prices below international levels. Rather than reversing those reforms completely, Rabat is now concentrating assistance on sectors where rising fuel costs could have the greatest effect on consumers and the economy.
That distinction is important for Morocco’s longer-term economic strategy. Supporting taxis, buses and freight companies can help contain transportation and distribution costs while allowing retail fuel prices to continue responding to international markets. It also gives the government greater flexibility to adjust spending as energy conditions change.
The programme ultimately reflects Morocco’s effort to balance fiscal discipline with economic protection during a period of international uncertainty. By directing assistance toward the transport sector and reviewing payments every 15 days, the government is seeking to prevent temporary energy shocks from becoming broader pressures on household budgets, business costs and inflation.
For Morocco, the latest extension is therefore more than a response to higher prices at petrol stations. It represents a targeted attempt to keep people and goods moving, protect purchasing power and give the economy greater resilience against energy-market disruptions that originate far beyond its borders.
