Know more about Cairo Bike project: Egypt's bid for less traffic congestion and higher air quality

CAIRO - 26 July 2022: Before hosting the United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change at its twenty-seventh session, scheduled to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh next November, Egypt began implementing the “Cairo Bike” project to spread the culture of cycling, in a bid of enhancing the concept of environment friendly transportation services.

 

The bike project to move between stations in downtown Cairo, for one Egyptian pound per hour.

 

In this report, et highlights some information about the project and the areas it covers:

 

1- Cairo Governorate, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, started implementing the “Cairo Bike” project in an experimental way in five stations within the downtown area.

 

2- The stations that will be using bicycles include: Al-Tahrir sq., Mohamed Farid sq., Abdel Moneim Riad sq., and Al Falaki and Abdel Khaleq Tharwat Streets.

 

3- The project applies the idea of ​​sustainable transport to facilitate health and environmental practices, and reduce harmful emissions. 

 

4- The project works to reduce dependence on cars as well as reduce traffic densities in the downtown area.

 

5- The idea of ​​the project depends on the existence of a large network of check points where bicycles are available for public use.

 

6- The project is managed through a mobile application at low prices, starting from one pound per hour, or through a prepaid recharge card.

 

7- The project takes place in downtown Cairo, Garden City and Zamalek areas, as a start with a fleet of 500 bikes, distributed over 45 stations, secured by cameras, and the bikes are tracked by GPS.

 

8- The project is in cooperation between Cairo Governorate and the United Nations Human Settlements Program, funded by the Swiss Drosos Foundation, and technical support and supervision by the Institute for Transport and Development Policy.

 

9- The idea of ​​the project dates back to 2016, and it allows citizens to rent a bike from one of the stations, use it inside Cairo, and then return it to the same station or another station, by subscribing to different packages via an electronic application on mobile phones.

 

The transportation sector is the most polluting sector to the environment, and its economic cost to society is very large. The state stresses the importance of reducing dependence on private cars, and the tendency to develop public transportation, because this contributes reducing the state’s dependence on hard currency to provide fuel and spare parts, as well as reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality.