In-depth look at Cairo metro's fare increase

CAIRO – 11 May 2018: The Ministry of Transportation has increased the price of metro tickets for the second time in less than a year.

The metro is considered one of the main means of daily transportation for over 3.5 million of Greater Cairo's 21 million residents, according to estimates by the country's National Authority for Tunnels.

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

Commuters will be charged a base fare of LE 3 ($ 0.16) for the first nine stops and an additional LE 2 (total LE 5) for seven more stations. The highest ticket price has been fixed at LE 7 if the commuter travels more than 16 stations.

The previous price of a ticket was LE 2, without any determinations for the number of stations.

The price increase trended Google searches in Egypt on Friday, with more than 40,000 searches.

The new Cairo metro tickets new tickets - the yellow represents the first category for the first nine stops (LE 3), the green represents the second category the commuter will use the metro for 9 stations to less than 16 (LE 5), The red one represents highest ticket price for LE 7 if more than 16 stations.


Why the government increased the price of metro tickets

The Ministry of Transportation pointed out that it applies discounted fares for government workers, students, senior citizens and citizens with disabilities.


The Ministry of Transportation has increased the price of metro tickets for the second time in less than a year. Egypt Today/Photo by Hussien Tallal

The ministry pointed out in the statement that the increase comes to fund the implementation of the development plan for Greater Cairo’s metro. The hike also aims at covering operational costs of the railway system.

The steps target developing the metro system based on commutes, achieving social justice, and making up for a deficit of up to 94 percent from the expenses of maintenance during the fiscal years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, the statement concluded.

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

Connecting Greater Cairo

CAIRO - 13 April 2018: As of September, citizens of the affluent suburb Heliopolis will be able to stop at the first station of the under-construction fourth phase of the third metro line, which covers a distance of 48 km, making it the longest metro line in Egypt.

Egypt doubled the price of tickets in 2017

Egypt had doubled the price of metro tickets in July 2017 from LE 1 to LE 2, a move that came four months after Egypt floated the pound under its economic reform program.

Transportation Minister Hisham Arafat said the increase to LE 2 followed losses of LE 500 million, which put the network at risk, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

The Ministry of Transportation has increased the price of metro tickets for the second time in less than a year. Egypt Today/Photo by Hussien Tallal

The metro, Cairo's main means of transportation


The metro, which works everyday from 5:15 a.m. until 12:30 a.m., was first launched in 1987 and has since become the most important means of transportation in Greater Cairo, helping commuters avoid traffic jams or negotiate fares with unmetered taxis. Female commuters can either choose to take the non-segregated cars or use the women-only carriages. For many years the metro tickets cost LE 1, no matter how many stations were used, which was very convenient for everyone.

There were originally two lines – the oldest one running from Marg to Helwan, south of Cairo, and the second one running from Shubra to Giza. The newest third line runs from Attaba to Korba; although, it is not completely finished. Lines can currently be changed at three stations.





The Ministry of Transportation has increased the price of metro tickets for the second time in less than a year. Egypt Today/Photo by Hussien Tallal