Algeria has approved an “immediate” plan to import 10,000 new passenger buses, a move validated during a government meeting chaired by Acting Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb. The roadmap is aimed at replacing the oldest vehicles in service and stabilizing urban transport after a spate of deadly accidents.
According to details shared by the Transport Ministry, 4,680 of the incoming buses will replace units over 30 years old, while 5,320 will partially renew vehicles aged 20–30 years—revealing that more than 15,000 buses nationwide have surpassed two decades of service. Authorities are working toward completing the import program by February 2026.
The push follows the August 15 Oued El Harrach tragedy in Algiers, where a bus plunged into a wadi, leaving 18 dead and 25 injured. In the days after, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the withdrawal of buses older than 30 years and instructed the government to fast-track a full renewal plan.
Beyond the 10,000 imported vehicles, the government says the fleet overhaul will continue “progressively” by leveraging national manufacturing capacity in the bus sector. Officials have not yet disclosed the overall cost of the operation.
Today’s validation marks the program’s decisive phase: sequencing procurements, prioritizing the most at-risk routes, and coordinating deliveries so public operators—and private concessionaires—can retire unsafe units without disrupting daily service. If executed on schedule, commuters across major cities should see newer fleets, shorter breakdown-related delays, and a baseline improvement in safety over the coming months.
