How Uber and Its Rivals Are Beating the Middle East’s Most Notorious Traffic
- Careem, Uber plan multi-million dollar investments in Egypt
- Services supplement poor public transport, avoid congestion
Late to a meeting on the other side of Cairo, student Abdel-Kader Shehade opted for the fastest ride-hailing service in town: Careem Scooter. “It was like the traffic jam didn’t exist,” said the 19-year-old, whose trip took a fraction of the usual time at half the price of a car.
Shehade hasn’t looked back. Neither have Dubai-based Careem or Uber, which are investing in Egypt’s sprawling capital, whose congested roads and inadequate public transport drive demand. Both are coming up with new means to traverse the city of 20 million, where a 2014 World Bank study found 3.6 percent of Egypt’s GDP was being lost as Cairenes wasted hours a day in bumper-to-bumper traffic chaos to the incessant blare of horns and insults.
San Francisco-based Uber has grown rapidly in Egypt since its 2014 arrival. It ran a commuter boat service for the first time this summer, zipping up the Nile River that dissects Cairo to bypass clogged streets and noxious car fumes. UberBOAT is a seasonal service, but Uber is in talks with the government to start a bus service and is investing $20 million in a customer service center in Cairo.