Uber hikes fares after fuel price increase

CAIRO – 19 July 2017: In line with the recent fuel hikes, the San Francisco-based online ride-sharing company Uber has hiked its fares in Egypt.

The company said that while it strives to remain the most affordable ride in town, it also cares about the drivers whom the company is keen to maintain a sustainable living for them.

“With events like the recent currency devaluation, high purchase cost of cars, and increased fuel prices, and more – we share both riders’ and driver partners’ concerns and are always doing our best to find solutions that will benefit both our riders and drivers partners,” the company said in a statement.

For an average UberX ride, the base fare was hiked from LE 5 to LE 6, and the price per kilometer was raised to LE 1.85 from LE1.5.

The fare base of the more luxurious UberSELECT rides was raised to LE 7.

The Dubai based cab-hailing app Careem has also increased fares on Monday.

Last June, the Egyptian government has announced an increase in fuel prices by up to 50 percent as part of the reform program that entails cutting subsidies.

Uber arrived in Cairo and Giza in November 2014 and began operations in Alexandria a year later.

The number of drivers who have joined the service has grown 73 times in one year, making Cairo the fastest-growing city for the company in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.