Uber, Careem drivers back on job as Egypt moves to regulate industry
After their operations were suspended by a Cairo court, another put Uber and Careem back on Egyptian streets while the parliament drafts legislation to regulate ride-share companies.
After more than three years of unregulated work since ride-share companies Uber and Careem launched in Egypt in 2014, car owners and drivers working with these services are anticipating a final law to regulate the industry.
On April 7, the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters quashed an administrative court ruling issued in March to suspend the two companies. According to lawyer Ahmed Samir, the last ruling by the administrative court against Uber and Careem was a call for the government to get to work on their regularization.
In March, a Cairo administrative court issued a ruling calling for the companies behind ride-sharing apps to stop their services. The government response was quick. On March 29, the Egyptian parliament’s transportation committee approved some articles of the draft bill regulating the operation of ride-sharing apps.
George Magdy works for the ride-share service Uber. He told Al-Monitor, “I am always under pressure because I face citations from the traffic police at any time.”
