Uber announced a new intercity bus service in Egypt, a market which has come to be known as Uber’s favourite lab project, as it usually is the first one to get new features from the company. The company already has a intra city bus service, and with this move, the buses will complete round trips between Cairo and Alexandria.
The company intimated the details of the announcement to MENAbytes , offering a new way for its Egyptian customers to travel inter city. The service can be booked using the familiar Uber app, by scrolling to the Bus routes in menu bar. Users will be able to avail this service 7 days a week with 8 journeys per day, which will carry them from Cairo to Alexandria and vice versa, with 9 pick up and drop off points between the two locations. The best part, this service will be available to users at the measly price of EGP 90 ($5.6), thus making it one of the most economical ways to conduct the trip.
Moreover, the company plans to expand its offering to include various other cities in the country, in the foreseeable future.
“Built locally, the company chooses Egypt once again to be the first country globally to roll out a new service. The launch comes as part of Uber’s continuous efforts to adapt its technology to build a wide range of products that meet the needs of local markets. Following the Covid-19 lockdown period, Uber is excited to continue expanding its presence in Egypt with a safe and affordable ride,” Uber told MENAbytes in a statement.
However, the threat of coronavirus is still looming, and public transport continues to suffer. Therefore, at a time like this, is a bus service the best way to go? To answer that, Uber makes the case that these buses will follow COVID 19 safety rules religiously, including riders and drivers wearing face masks during trips, reduction of maximum seating capacity to encourage physical distancing between riders and installation of sanitizer dispensers on in all the buses.
Ahmed Khalil, General Manager of Uber Egypt, said, “We are honored to witness another global product launch from Egypt, especially following the last few tense months across the country and the world. Egypt is an innovation hub and a fantastic environment for testing new products.”
