Egypt’s Senate approves partial exemption of public transport fares for senior citizens

CAIRO- 19 December 2021: Egypt’s Senate (the upper house of the parliament), on Sunday, approved a bill allowing the senior citizens to partially exempt fares of state-owned public means of transportation.

 

The Senate approved this government-drafted bill of the rights of senior citizens during a plenary on Saturday. Article 24 of the bill stipulates that the elderly shall be granted a partial exemption from the cost of public transportation fares.

 

On 21 November 2021, the bill was preliminarily approved by the Senate on Sunday. The law proposes a punishment of a maximum of one year and fined L.E. 1,000-10,000 for dereliction of duty on the part of a caregiver of an elderly.

 

It also endorses the rights of the elderly as laid out in the international conventions to which Egypt is signatory, as well as the right to life, food, clothing, housing suitable for their age and state of health, and the right to make their own independent choices. 

 

The draft law also prohibits discrimination based on age or religion. It also mentions the right to education, learning, working, using public facilities and services, access to information, and freedom of expression.

 

The Senate also discussed establishing more free retirement homes, reducing beneficiaries of the law from 65 to 60 years old, reducing the charge of delivering the pension to senior citizens, partial exemption of public transport tickets, and toughening the penalty of adults failing to give proper care to their parents.