Rabat - The Spanish bus operator Alsa, which already manages bus systems in many Moroccan cities, has won a contract to bring four fully-electric trams to Marrakech, according to the news agency Europa Press.

Rabat – The Spanish bus operator Alsa, which already manages bus systems in many Moroccan cities, has won a contract to bring four fully-electric trams to Marrakech, according to the news agency Europa Press.

The contract will lead to the creation 16 new jobs in the city, the source said. The four bus rapid transit (BRT) lines will be ready by November of this year, just before Marrakech hosts COP 22, the international climate conference.

BRT represents a transit system – similar to an above-ground subway – with lower costs and faster service characterized by four main factors: one, the bus or tram takes a central position on the road; two, the stations, instead of the drivers, sell tickets to ride the bus; next, each bus has more than one door for exit and entry; and finally, the bus is given priority at traffic intersections.

Rabat, Morocco’s capital, currently runs a BRT system connecting the city to its neighboring twin, Sale.

The electric tram system falls within the “Marrakech, City of Permanent Renewal” program, launched by King Mohammed VI in January 2015, which will spend MAD 6.3 billion over four years to introduce eco-friendly programs to the burgeoning city.

Alsa began business in Morocco in 1999, and has since expanded to Agadir, Tangier, and Khouribga. Since 2015, the company belongs to the National Express Group, a British corporation.