The Tunisian Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Technologies issued a warning to the “Yassir Tunisia” application on Monday, January 16, 2023.
According to the two ministries, the company “Yassir Tunisia” promotes individuals to join the application to carry out irregular public transportation of people outside of the legal and regulatory frameworks in place. They believe that “Yassir Tunisia” is in significant violation of the law because this mode of transportation is subject to licence and also violates the concept of fair competition.
Mohammed Aziz JAOUHARI TISSAFI, General Manager of Yassir.
The ministries state that steps would be put in place “to deal with this issue, in order to protect the public service,” in collaboration with the appropriate authorities.
It will be recalled that individual cabs launched a strike on the same Monday “after the lack of responsiveness from the government and the authorities associated with the requests of experts in the field over e-transport applications”.
The Tunisian Union of Individual Taxis considers these applications to be illegal, and communication has been filed to the Central Bank and the public prosecutor to alert them to the many violations, including money laundering.
The strike was called off in the early evening following a meeting with an adviser to the Ministry of Communication Technologies who agreed to regulate e-transport applications in collaboration with the ministries of Justice and Transportation.
The Tunisian Union of Individual Taxis has decided to submit a complaint against an application’s owner.
For its part, “Yassir Tunisia” issued a press release in response to recent attacks that occurred close to the company’s headquarters and were carried out by members of one of the professional associations of taxi drivers. The company announced that all of these acts, which pose a serious risk to the company’s employees, have been reported to be used in legal proceedings.
The business wished to emphasise that “the only parties authorised to request clarifications and explanations about the company’s activity or to potentially resolve any dispute that may arise between the startup and other professional or private structures are the official structures of the Tunisian State.”
“In light of the aforementioned, as well as the gravity of the repeated threats made against the rules and institutions of the Tunisian State, Yassir reiterates its demand that the government ensure the security of its personnel and their freedom to work.
Additionally, it reiterates its desire to communicate with all relevant governmental parties while maintaining compliance with the law and customer interests, the business said.
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard
Yassir, an African super app platform that provides on-demand services including ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, and payments, has raised $150 million in Series B investment, which is five times as much as it raised in its prior priced round last November.
BOND, the growth-stage company that Mary Meeker separated from Kleiner Perkins in 2018, spearheaded the investment. DN Capital, Dorsal Capital, Quiet Capital, Stanford Alumni Ventures, and Y Combinator via its Continuity Fund are some of the other key investors in the growth round.
Since its founding in 2017, the African firm, which debuted in Algeria, has now raised $193.25 million. Yassir considers itself the most valuable startup in North Africa and one of the highest-valued businesses in Africa and the Middle East, where it expects to grow in the upcoming months, despite the fact that its valuation is yet unknown.
Since its founding, the firm has gained a lot of traction. The startup has 8 million users (about 2.5 times more than last year) and 100,000 partners made up of drivers, couriers, merchants, suppliers, and wholesalers, who are using its financial services.
One of these VC firms’ general partners, Daegwon Chae, stated that his company’s main investment in Yassir is based on the idea that technology will “rearchitect” how customers interact with food, financial services, and transportation around the world. “This investment is an extension of that belief in an underserved but dynamic, rapidly growing region. Emerging out of North Africa, the app has already become indispensable to users for critical aspects of their lives,” he added.
Credit: Yassir
A Look At What The Startup Does
Yassir, an all-in-one ecosystem app, offers its consumers a one-stop shop for managing their daily activities, from getting to work to purchasing groceries and meals. Yassir is exploiting this network for its payments play, which includes a B2B e-commerce retail component that connects fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) suppliers with merchants, as well as the deployment of drivers and couriers as money agents.
When CEO Noureddine Tayebi founded Yassir, the goal was to create a super app that included services that consumers in the French-speaking Maghreb region of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia had little or no access to on a single platform. So far, the execution has been flawless. Not only does the company provide ride-hailing and food and grocery delivery services (through Yassir Express) in 45 cities across six countries, but according to the research, the platform accounts for three out of every five on-demand activity in Algeria, its first market.
Yassir has come closer to its overall goal of offering banking and payments thanks to this calculated growth. According to Tayebi, offering on-demand services for food and transportation was the starting point that allowed Yassir to win consumers’ trust for this project. Tayebi claims that this is one of the reasons why the majority of Africans lack access to banking.
For context, consider that over 65% of Moroccans, one of Yassir’s key customers, do not have a bank account, and that 57% of Africans do not have any kind of bank account, per a 2018 McKinsey research on growth and innovation in retail banking. The report also notes that 40% of Africans who have access to banking prefer to transact online. In light of the fact that 50% of people in Africa have access to the internet, Yassir’s thesis holds that offering customers a mobile banking solution as part of a larger suite of services will satisfy a crucial need in that market.
“Our business model from day one was a super add model and getting into payments. When we first started, the observation was that most people were unbanked, and the number one reason is that people don’t trust the banking systems here for various reasons,” the chief executive said. “We thought we could provide on-demand services that solve immediate needs around where people spent their money. We knew if we executed well, we could have a large user base that subconsciously trusts us, which we felt was pertinent to offering payment services.”
“First, we want to create a local tech startup success model which will be emulated by others and more so Yassir team members. Second, we want to empower the local talent and, more importantly, the technical talent which often leaves the region, mainly to Europe, to pursue further studies or find jobs,” remarked the chief executive, who, after receiving a Ph.D. from Stanford and spent 15 years working at various organisations in Silicon Valley, returned to Algeria in 2016 to get active in the nation’s emerging tech landscape.
As a result, the business plans to aggressively invest in its technical and product teams by tripling their size, at the very least, according to Tayebi, who started Yassir alongside Mahdi Yettou. He also emphasised how the money will help Yassir, which has offices in Algeria, Canada, France, Morocco, and Tunisia, to consolidate its growth, launch new services in the existing markets, and directly or through acquisitions expand into other regions throughout Africa and the Middle East.
“Although we like to consider ourselves as leaders in the Maghreb region, we’re just scratching the surface, and there’s still a lot of room to grow,” expressed the Silicon-Valley-based Algerian entrepreneur.
“In our first few years, we had a hard time raising money because of the region we operate in, despite us executing well,” he said. “That pushed us to be frugal and conscious of unit economics, profitability, and burn rate. And with the market shifts, we could still show that we had grown significantly with outstanding unit economics. So fundraising was easier because we grew so much that VC firms could not ignore us anymore.”
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard. You can book a session and speak with him using the link: https://insightsbyexperts.com/view_expert/charles-rapulu-udoh
Nouridine Tayebi’s firm, founded in 2017, aims to create more than 1,000 direct jobs in Senegal.
“In the immediate term, we will be able to exceed the 1,000 direct job threshold. We will also create indirect jobs,” said the company’s founder at a news conference in Dakar.
Nouridine Tayebi, yassir founder
Direct jobs will go to local computer engineers, marketing and financial specialists, according to Nouridine Tayebi, while indirect jobs will go to drivers, delivery personnel, and other tradespeople.
“We hope to have hundreds of employment in each of these industries,” he informed the Senegalese Press Agency colleagues, claiming that the startup had created 50,000 jobs in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
“In Senegal, we aim to replicate this approach. Our objective is to attract local tech talent in all of the countries where we operate,” said the startup founder and CEO.
According to him, Yassir is an application “born in Africa, for Africans” that would give on-demand services and “access to a digital method of payment.”
“Through numerous smartphone apps available on iOS and Android, the company delivers on-demand services like as ride-hailing and delivery services, which create money for more than 40,000 partners, including drivers, delivery personnel, retailers (…), and wholesalers,” he stated.
Nouridine Tayebi, who attended university in the United States, says he wants to “build a 100% African model that will try to promote (…) indigenous technological talent.”
“These skills frequently do not have many chances in the region and, sadly, wind up departing for Europe to find job,” he said, estimating five million users in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard. You can book a session and speak with him using the link: https://insightsbyexperts.com/view_expert/charles-rapulu-udoh
In Morocco, Yassir, a well-known digital operator in the fast-moving goods market, is introducing a new service called Yassir Market.
As part of the Yassir Express app’s “Dark Store” idea, Yassir Market helps to facilitate post-covid customer behavior change. Rather than having a storefront or receptionist, it is a local physical warehouse that serves only as a storage facility and delivery point, allowing consumers to have basic groceries delivered in only a few minutes.
Mohammed Aziz JAOUHARI TISSAFI, General Manager of Yassir.
The start-up, Yassir, is one of the pioneers in Africa and Morocco when it comes to innovative business models.
As of now, Yassir Express operates eight locations across Morocco, including Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, Kenitra, and Agadir. The company is also expanding rapidly into new areas of the country, including Tangier, Rabat, and Mohammedia.
Since its launch in September 2021, the service has received an avalanche of requests brought on by the emergence of new consumption patterns in post-covid Morocco.
It is customary throughout the month of Ramadan for deliveries to be delivered between the hours of 9 am and 10 pm on weekdays, and between the hours of 11 am and 1 am on weekends. Outside of the discount period, the service costs 7 Dhs.
Consumers can access Yassir Market, which features an extensive selection of products, through the Yassir Express app.
It’s easy to place an order. Customers use the “Yassir Market” service from the Yassir Express app to complete their shopping, and just like an online supermarket, they add items to their basket from the shelves (drinks, snacks, beauty, baby, etc.) and choose whether to pay with cash on delivery or a safe online payment.
The Yassir Market service, available on the Yassir Express app, was designed to suit contemporary needs by giving delivery in less than 30 minutes, and we are delighted to be an African startup “Born in Africa,” as stated by Mohammed Aziz JAOUHARI TISSAFI, General Manager of Yassir. An effort to raise $30 million would be considered a success.
An international investment fund of $30 million has been put in place to help the company expand its operations in North Africa, as well as to build Dark stores around the African continent.
Yassir Inc. was founded in 2017 and specializes on developing new mobile solutions. A wide range of services are offered, including transportation, food delivery, and grocery delivery (Dark stores). It has a presence in more than 30 cities across three continents (Africa, Europe, and North America). More than 1,500,000 people use the company’s services, and it works with 10,000 different companies.
Yassir Maroc was launched in Morocco in October 2018 and now has more than 50 young talents on its team. By the end of the year, the company wants to treble its staff. Aziz JAOUHARI TISSAFI, serial entrepreneur, engineer, and expert in e-commerce and the on-demand economy, is in charge of the Moroccan subsidiary.
After co-founding WAYSTOCAP, a firm that raised more than $4 million in finance before being bought by MaxAB, Aziz has returned to the startup scene. Now, Aziz is in charge of expanding the start-up into other African countries like Senegal and Benin as well as Togo.
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard. You can book a session and speak with him using the link: https://insightsbyexperts.com/view_expert/charles-rapulu-udoh
This time last year, the operations of Algerian transport startup Yassir were on the verge of being outlawed in Casablanca, Morocco’s central-western city. Its offense was clear: the city’s authorities did not believe the company had been lawfully licensed to operate. But Yassir’s founder, Noureddine Tayebi (a graduate of Algiers’ National Polytechnic School), had bigger issues to fight. He was hitting brick walls after speaking with hundreds of venture capital firms.
Algeria belongs in the French-speaking part of Africa, and fundraising activities for startups in that axis are few and far-between. In fact, two prominent patterns stand out from how investors invest in startups there. First is that a majority of the investors focus mostly on fintech and renewable energy. Second is that they invest in startups anchored in the English-speaking areas, but which maintain operations in French-speaking countries.
Noureddine was, however, so confident that the same rules would not apply to him. He has an American touch to his background, having bathed himself first in the University of Illinois where he obtained a Master’s Degree in electrical engineering; and in the prestigious Stanford University, where he obtained a PhD in Electrical Engineering, before coming back home to Algeria.
And so, he delved through his network and sifted through innumerable email threads.
“It was not a simple process,” he said, in his latest interview. “We spoke and presented, for over six months, to hundreds of venture capital firms around the world.”
“We usually convene meetings through our network, which is critical in earning their trust. Once they’ve expressed interest, we work with them for a few months to persuade them and give them time to figure out what they need. I can guarantee you that it was no easy task,” he said.
One thing is evident from all of this: without Noureddine’s US connections, no $30 million in venture money would have been added to the Algerian startup funding map this year.
The list of investors in the $30m round confirms this. All of WndrCo, DN Capital, Spike (Stanford Alumni) ventures, Nellore Capital, Moving Capital (AKA the Uber Alumni Investment Club), and Quiet Capital are based in California; while others such as FJ Labs, Endeavor Catalyst (Endeavor’s co-investment fund), VentureSouq, and Kismet Capital are based in New York, Dubai and South East Asia respectively.
Even angel investors in the latest round (Cleo Sham, former Uber head of operations in Europe and China; Thomas Layton, chairman of Upwork and founder of Opentable and Metaweb; Rohan Monga, former COO of Gojek; and Hannes Graah, former VP of Spotify and Revolut) attest to an investment round inspired by investors from the US.
But Noureddine said, although his solid network landed the team on the doors of the investors, other more measurable factors proved more convincing for flipping the investors to their side.
“You have to be really well prepared and have complete information about the company,” he said. “In general, investors consider three factors, the first of which is the founding team’s profile. They must then determine the proposition’s added value, as well as the size of the potential market.”
WndrCo partner Anthony Saleh confirmed the important role team played in triggering the investment in the transport startup.
“The moment we met the team, we saw the opportunity of entering an enormous market with a service taking the best of models we have seen elsewhere. We’re thrilled to be part of this supercharged journey,” he said.
Aside from the fact that Yassir is where it is now in terms of its newest venture capital round, the company is also headquartered in Delaware, USA, making the investment even easier for the participating investors. However, the company maintains subsidiaries in every country where it does business. Each subsidiary manages its territory autonomously, albeit collaborating with Yassir’s wider network. Each subsidiary also has a team that is entirely local.
But then, of course, the startup’s traction! Since its inception four years ago, Yassir has grown at an exponential rate. It was the first Algerian startup to get accepted into Y Combinator’s winter batch last year. The platform today has over 3 million users and 40,000 partners across all of its markets. It had previously, also, raised $13.25 million in an unreported seed round last year, a fact which, further, cemented investors’ confidence in the startup’s team.
The latest funding in Yassir is one of the highest outside of Africa’s Big Four of Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya. Year after year, those countries have gotten the most amounts of venture capital pouring to African countries.
Yassir Casablanca’s operations didn’t seem to pose enough threat to the fundraising ambition. It was then operating in three other Moroccan cities namely Tangier, Marrakech and Agadir, although it must be pointed out that losing Casablanca could be a big deal. The city, home to close to 4 million people, is Morocco’s business and economic capital, and holds a large number of expatriate workers. It is also home to the Port of Casablanca, one of the largest artificial ports in the world, and the second largest port of North Africa, after Tanger-Med.
Two months after, in February this year, Yassir showed defiance and launched its home delivery service, Yassir Express in Rabat, Morocco’s capital city.
The ban in Casablanca was not surprising. In 2015, the city’s authorities issued a press release stating that “Uber Maroc’s activities in Casablanca are illegal” and that its activities are “not authorized, and expose people working there, as well as the drivers involved with the company to sanctions.”
One of Uber’s sins was that while pretending to partner with local tourist transportation unions, it catered to young Moroccans using local credit cards — not tourists.
In 2018, battered by the continued frustration, Uber folded up and left Morocco.
Yassir, which was founded in 2017, was Algeria’s first ride-hailing app. Since then, the company has expanded into new areas and services. It now provides ride-hailing services to people and businesses in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, as well as food delivery in Algeria.
The startup has over 3 million users, offers on-demand services like ride hailing and last mile delivery, and generates revenue for over 40,000 partners, including drivers, delivery riders, merchants, FMCGs, and wholesalers.
According to Tayebi, Yassir makes money by charging a commission on the services it provides.
Yassir transport strategy Yassir transport strategy Yassir transport strategy Yassir transport strategy
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions. He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance. He is also an award-winning writer
Moroccan delivery startup, Yassir Maroc, would hand over all income from sales made today by women who have listed their dishes on its platform via Association Solidarité Féminine (ASF). The startup would not also be taking any commission from such sales.
“On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Yassir Maroc has decided to help women in a precarious situation of the Association Solidarité Féminine (ASF), by allowing them to sell their dishes via the Yassir Express application,” said the startup in a statement.
director general of Yassir in Morocco, Rachid Moulay El Rhazi
Here Is What You Need To Know
The startup said it will now be possible for users of the application to order traditional dishes such as tagines, rfissa, pastilla… prepared by these women who find themselves in a difficult situation.
The association’s restaurant has been available since last Friday on the Yassir Express application, the statement said.
Users wishing to order from the restaurant simply need to connect to this application to order their meals.
“Our goal is to allow these women to have more visibility to be able to make more sales and thus supplement their income. We will make all our service available to these women who are in a vulnerable situation. We will continue to support them, so that they can meet their needs and the needs of their children and become more active in the community,” said the director general of Yassir in Morocco, Rachid Moulay El Rhazi, in the statement.
“I take this opportunity to appeal for the solidarity of our customers. We hope that they can often place their orders with the Association’s restaurant to support these women,” he said. .
A Look At The Startup Yassir
Founded in 2017, Yassir was quickly presented as a serious threat to Uber in the Middle East and North Africa. Yassir is currently present in 30 cities spread over 3 continents (Africa, Europe, and North America). The number of its users amounts to more than 1,500,000 people and has 10,000 partners. In Morocco, the Yassir company operates in five cities and plans to expand its activities to several areas.
Although an American company, each Yassir subsidiary works independently in its territorial management and in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in each country where it operates. However, it collaborates with the other teams of the Yassir network. The teams that each subsidiary has are 100% local and multidisciplinary.
In April 2019, Yassir occupied the 3rd place in the list of the 100 most promising startups in the Arab world at the World Economic Forum.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions. He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance. He is also an award-winning writer
Yassir Maroc, a Morocco-based startup specializing in mobile solutions, has launched its home delivery service, Yassir Express in Rabat, Morocco’s capital city. The recent announcement comes after the startup’s ride-hailing service was banned in the Moroccan city of Casablanca last December.
general manager of Yassir Express in Morocco, Rachid Moulay El Rhazi
“The launch of the Yassir Express service in Rabat is part of our strategic plan which aims to increase our coverage of the Moroccan market. We wish to extend our activity to several cities of the Kingdom, in order to facilitate the daily life of Moroccans and adapt to new habits and behavior of Moroccan consumers “, noted the general manager of Yassir Express in Morocco, Rachid Moulay El Rhazi, quoted in the press release.
“We also want to offer them a quality service. For this, we carefully choose our partners and we apply strict criteria when recruiting our delivery people,” he said.
Here Is What You Need To Know
Residents of the capital can now have their meals delivered or buy the products they need from their homes through the Yassir Express app, the company said in a statement, adding that the service is operational 7 days a week.
The application has several categories, including restaurants, supermarkets, butchers, bakeries, florists, chocolate shops, multimedia and children’s area. More categories will soon be available on the app.
The Yassir Express service will soon be available in other cities in Morocco such as Fez, Meknes, Kenitra and Mohammedia.
A Look At The Startup Yassir
Founded in 2017, Yassir was quickly presented as a serious threat to Uber in the Middle East and North Africa. Yassir is currently present in 30 cities spread over 3 continents (Africa, Europe, and North America). The number of its users amounts to more than 1,500,000 people and has 10,000 partners. In Morocco, the Yassir company operates in five cities and plans to expand its activities to several areas.
Although an American company, each Yassir subsidiary works independently in its territorial management and in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in each country where it operates. However, it collaborates with the other teams of the Yassir network. The teams that each subsidiary has are 100% local and multidisciplinary.
In April 2019, Yassir occupied the 3rd place in the list of the 100 most promising startups in the Arab world at the World Economic Forum.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions. He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance. He is also an award-winning writer
Algerian ride-hailing startup Yassir, which was recently, in April 2019, ranked 3rd on the list of the 100 Most Promising Startups in the Arab World at the World Economic Forum has hit rock bottom in Morocco’s largest city of Casablanca. The region of Casablanca-Settat has declared Yassir’s operations within the Casablanca province as illegal, stating that it had not issued any authorization to the startup (called in full, Yassir Maroc Sarl) to operate within the metropolis.
Yassir Maroc Sarl
“The services of the Wilaya of Casablanca have not issued any authorization to the company in question, neither for public transport services in Casablanca, nor to link users and owners of vehicles,” a statement issued by the province stated.
Here Is What You Need To Know
The statement further noted that “the activities of the company in question are illegal and expose their managers as well as the drivers involved in the aforementioned activities to penalties provided for by the laws and regulations in force.”
The statement from the Wilaya recalled that the said company had launched a transport service delivery offer in Casablanca by means of a Yassir mobile application, making it possible to connect customers and transport service providers.
The statement also noted that Yassir had also gone ahead to put online a website www.yassir.ma presenting the transport service offer and allowing the said application to be downloaded. This, the statement declared was illegal.
“A memorandum of understanding was signed in Casablanca, between the Yassir company and the Democratic Union of Transport (SDT), allowing taxi drivers to use this [Yassir] application…However, before the launch, an official application will be made in Casablanca,” Yassir said in a statement in July 2019, when it arrived in Morocco.
Yassir’s operations in Casablanca will not be the first to be declared illegal by the city’s authorities. In 2015, authorities issued a press release stating that “Uber Maroc’s activities in Casablanca are illegal” and that its activities are “not authorized, and expose people working there, as well as the drivers involved with the company to sanctions.” One of Uber’s sins was that while pretending to partner with local tourist transportation unions, it catered to young Moroccans using local credit cards — not tourists. In 2018, battered by the continued frustration, Uber folded up and left Morocco.
Morocco’s regulatory framework on ride-hailing is simple: do so through registered taxi unions only. Little wonder Heetch, a French ride-hailing startup, had claimed, at one time, that it was the only legal ride-sharing app in the North African country, because it had taken major drivers unions onboard before launching in the Moroccan market. In May 2019, Heetch raised $38 million to pursue its ride-hailing journey in France, Belgium and Morocco.
Overall, in Europe most of the biggest cities have adopted regulatory frameworks for PHV e-hailing activities, while spots for liberalized markets remain available in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East (Figure 1). Source: Arthur D Little analysis
Apart from Casablanca, Yassir operates in three other Moroccan cities namely Tangier, Marrakech and Agadir. It launched those operations last March and they “conformed with the laws in force in particular, the Dahir №1 63–260 as well as the regulations enacted by the wilayas of the Souss-massa regions and Marrakech Safi,” a statement from the operator read. The startup is also planning operations in Morocco’s other cities of Rabat, Mohammedia, Fes and Oujda.
Loosing Casablanca is, however, a big loss in the meantime. Casablanca, home to close to 4 million people, is Morocco’s business and economic capital, and holds a large number of expatriate workers. The city is also home to the Port of Casablanca, one of the largest artificial ports in the world, and the second largest port of North Africa, after Tanger-Med.
A Look At The Startup Yassir
Founded in Algeria in 2017, Yassir was quickly presented as a serious threat to Uber in the Middle East and North Africa. YA Technologies, which developed it, was launched by three Algerians Al-Mahdi Yettou, Noureddine Tayebi and Mustapha Baha, all graduates of the National Polytechnic School of Algeria and international universities.
Yassir already has more than 1.5 million users as at March this year as well as more than 10,000 partner drivers in the Maghreb region.
In recent times, new apps have been disrupting Morocco’s taxi industry. Before now, Yassir competed with a number of taxi ordering apps already on the market including Heetch and Roby. While Heetch operates in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech, Roby Taxi has been operating in Marrakech and, recently in Casablanca.
Wilaya is a local word for province.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions. He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance. He is also an award-winning writer
