Metro fares hikes could not be delayed: Transport Minister

CAIRO – 11 May 2018: Transport Minister Hisham Arafat said the decision to apply new hikes in Cairo’s underground Metro fares “could not be delayed even for one day.”

Arafat added, during a phone interview with TV presenter Rasha Nabil on Channel 1, that the ministry is being honest with citizens, as these hikes will contribute to the development and renovation of the underground Metro system.

The Ministry of Transport decided Thursday to increase the fare of underground Metro tickets starting Friday based on the length of each commute, the ministry said in a press statement.

Commuters will be charged a based fare of EGP 3 for the first nine stops, and additional EGP 2 (total EGP 5) for seven more stations. A maximum fare of EGP 6 will include all stations for one trip.

The minister added that the ministry will sign a contract with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, in addition to another contract, worth €730 million, with the French Development Agency.

He pointed out that the cost of developing the first Metro line will reach EGP 30 billion; moreover, the ministry plans to sign an agreement to procure 32 air-conditioned trains.

In recent years, Metro officials have urged the cabinet to increase ticket prices in order to stop financial losses suffered by the Cairo’s underground metro system, which is one of the oldest in the Middle East and Africa.

Over 3.5 million of Greater Cairo's 21 million inhabitants rely on the subway for their daily travel, according to estimates by the country's National Authority for Tunnels.