Watch Mohamed El Bacha talk about being the proud owner of one of the many Mercedes cars in Morocco. The blue taxi's are seen everywhere throughout the country. But as the cars are slowly replaced by new minivans, this image will someday disappear.

“As a child I already knew I wanted to be a taxi driver. Being on the road in a car: for me it’s a symbol of freedom and independence,” explains Mohamed El Bacha, who comes from the Berber village of Arbaa Ida Ouguerd. His father paid for him to get his driving licence at 17 years of age. For a while he worked in a cake shop. But once he had gained a few years of driving experience, the local authorities of the Moroccan port town of Essaouira issued him with his taxi permit. Shortly after that, he became the proud owner of a Mercedes.

Mohamed El Bacha is a taxi driver in Essaouira, Morocco. His trusty companion: a Mercedes-Benz 240 D which is over 40 years old and, despite covering millions of kilometres, is still in service. Mohamed El Bacha and his Mercedes-Benz have been working together for 25 years day-in, day-out.

Read the full article and more images on the website of Mercedes-Benz