Uber has announced the launch of its minibus service ‘Uber Bus’ in Cairo, making the Egyptian capital the first city in the world to have the service. The announcement was made by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at a press conference in Cairo. He was also joined by Egypt’s Investment Minister Dr Sahar Nasr at the event. The news comes a day after Careem launched Careem Bus in Cairo.
Speaking at the press conference, the Uber CEO, said, “Uber is committed to broadening access to our platform with a range of low-cost options that will move more people around town and help cities tackle issues such as congestion.”
“Egypt and the Middle East region are hugely important to Uber and we will continue to heavily invest in this part of the world,” he added.
He also pointed out that Egypt is among the top ten global markets of Uber in terms of the number of trips. “Egypt is among Uber’s top 10 global markets in terms of the number of trips, and the company aims to further scale up its business in the fast-growing market, where it employs over 90,000 drivers.”
Uber has been testing the service in some parts of Cairo since September. When the company first announced that it’s testing the service in a blog post, it noted, “We’re excited to launch our next innovation to bring the high quality and safety standards of Uber to even more Cairo riders. Meet Uber Bus—your daily commute. Uber Bus uses technology to reserve your seat on a clean, air-conditioned, and high-quality bus.”
“When you request your ride through the app, we will find other passengers travelling in the same direction so that you can get to your destination with fewer stops. And, because you are sharing your ride with other Uber passengers, the price is affordable enough for everyday use, while still maintaining Uber standards,” the company added.
The service is part of Uber’s main app. Careem has gone a different route launching a dedicated mobile app for it. In-case of Uber, when a rider selects a pick-up point and destination that is within the neighbourhoods covered by Uber Bus, they’ll see it as an option in the app.
