First ride-hailing app for Cairo's traditional taxis launched
To compete with Uber, Egyptian-owned company Taxi Plus launched a ride-sharing app for local taxi drivers.
In late 2016, Egyptian-owned company Taxi Plus launched its first ride-hailing service for Egyptian capital taxis with the aim of modernizing them to meet international quality and safety standards.
The app is downloaded on cellphones and connects customers with traditional taxi drivers.
"Taxi Plus is a shareholding company, and all its employees are Egyptians," Hesham El-Sayed, the CEO of Taxi Plus, told Al-Monitor. "The taxi drivers join the service with the fare decided by the Egyptian government. Currently, 500 taxi drivers are enrolled in the app and have offered service to 2,000 customers since Dec. 25, 2016 — the date of its launch. He said that the service covers Cairo and Giza governorates. Access to the service will be expanded across Egypt.
The company reaches taxi drivers by distributing flyers in gas stations to encourage them to apply.
