Complete Guide to Using Uber in Egypt & Cairo
There is Uber in Egypt and Cairo in 2024. It’s easy to use, cheap, and more safe than taxis hailed off of the street. Uber is mainly available in the major cities of Cairo and Alexandria. If you’re in Luxor, Aswan, or Hurghada you can use the Careem app which is another ride-sharing app in Egypt that is owned by Uber.
✔️ Essential Info
- 🇪🇬 Where is it Available? You can only Uber in Cairo and Alexandria. Egypt’s local taxi app, Careem, might also work in smaller cities like Aswan and Luxor, but not as well.
- ✈️ Can You Take Uber from the Airport? You cannot take Uber directly from Cairo’s airport, I recommend arranging airport transfer ahead of time because the taxi drivers there are aggressive.
- 🚕 Is Uber Legal in Egypt? Uber is completely legal in Egypt, it’s used by locals and tourists alike.
- 📲 Is it Safe? Using Uber in Egypt is safer than taking traditional taxis off the street because Uber has GPS tracking. Using tracked ride-hailing services is a top safety tip for women in Egypt.
- 💸 Is it Cheap? Uber in Egypt is outrageously inexpensive, with many rides only costing $1-5.
- 💰 Do You Tip Taxi Drivers in Egypt? Egypt has a huge tipping culture – Tips, called “Baksheesh”, are expected for everything. You can tip on Uber through the app.
- 🚩 Scams: There are many scams associated with Uber and taxis in Egypt, I’ve listed a few at the end of this article.
Which Ride-Hailing App to Use Per City
| Cairo | Uber & Careem |
| Alexandria | Uber & Careem |
| Luxor | Careem |
| Aswan | Careem |
| Hurghada | Careem |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | None |
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✈️ Cairo Airport Transfer Service
You cannot take Uber directly from the airport terminal in Cairo, but arranging a transfer service is just as convenient and budget-friendly.
How To Use Uber In Egypt
You need an Egyptian phone number to use Uber in Egypt. You can get an Egyptian phone number by buying a SIM card at the arrivals terminal in Cairo Airport, right before the entrance. Do know that they’re not the most reliable. I bought a Vodaphone SIM card and data package at Cairo Airport and it didn’t start working for over two days!
📲 SIM Recommendation: I recommend Orange SIM card brand
👉 Note! You might have to delete and re-download you Uber app to get it to work in Egypt
Katie’s Tips ✶
You’ll need an Egyptian SIM card & phone number to access the wifi in a lot of places in Egypt.
What You Need to Use Uber in Egypt
📱 An unlocked phone – You need an unlocked phone so you can use an Egyptian SIM card.
🇪🇬 An Egyptian SIM card and local number – You can buy these everywhere in Egypt. There are a few different communications companies in Egypt but I recommend Orange, it consistently had the best coverage while we were traveling.
💵 Cash! For some reason, Egyptian Uber doesn’t accept non-Egyptian credit and debit cards, so all of our Uber rides had to be paid for in cash.
5 Taxi & Uber Scams to Avoid when traveling Egypt & Cairo
My Top Tips For Using Uber In Egypt
✔️ The license plates will be in Arabic! So brush up on a few Arabic numbers, or memorize the shapes of the numbers so you can identify your driver.
✔️ Take a photo of your license plate (and make sure your driver sees you take a photo).
✔️ Many drivers only speak Arabic, if they have trouble finding you for pick up you can ask a local for help. Most Egyptians are more than willing to help foreigners travel in their country.
✔️ Don’t let your driver drop you off in the middle of nowhere!
✔️ Be aware that taxi drivers sometimes smoke in the car in Egypt, it’s considered normal, but it was a big Egypt culture shock for me when I arrived in the country!
Different Types Of Uber In Egypt
🚐 Uber Shuttle – Uber Shuttle is Uber’s answer to competing with the popular SWIVL app. You’re not calling a shuttle to you, but rather it will tell you when the next shuttle is running and from where. Uber Shuttle is the cheapest way to get to and from Cairo Airport, at only 40 Egyptian Pounds ($2) each way from Cairo city center.
🛵 Uber Scooter – Uber Scooter is something I’ve taken in Bali, it’s basically just a guy drives up on a scooter and you hop on the back! Uber Scooter is by far the cheapest option, but you can’t use it if you’re more than one person.
🚕 Uber X – The standard Uber X car is the most popular Uber option in Egypt.
🚗 Uber Comfort – Uber in Egypt doesn’t have a Black Car service, but this is the closest thing offered. Uber Comfort only costs a little bit more than Uber X and has roomier vehicles with only top-rated drivers.
✈️ Taking Uber At Cairo Airport
While you can take Uber from Cairo Airport, it’s a lot easier to take Uber to Cairo Airport when it’s time to depart than from Cairo Airport when you arrive. The reason for this is because Ubers aren’t allowed in the airport terminal. So, if you want to take Uber you need to leave the airport and get picked up near the entrance to the parking garages.
Unless you already have an Egyptian SIM card (that’s working, mine took two days for the data to kick in!) you won’t be able to communicate with your driver once you leave the airport wifi. It’s just very difficult to take Uber from Cairo airport and I wouldn’t recommend it, I tried to do it and wound up at the mercy of very aggressive taxi drivers.
✈️ Cairo Airrival: I recommend arranging for a Private Transfer Service from Cairo Airport to your hotel instead of relying on Uber.
How Much is a Taxi from Cairo Airport to Downtown?
At the airport, the taxi drivers try to charge anywhere from 300 Egyptian Pounds ($16) to 500 Egyptian Pounds ($26) for a ride to a downtown hotel in Cairo. By contrast, an Uber from Cairo Airport to the city should cost around 150 Egyptian Pounds ($8). But it’s hard to use Uber when you first arrive. I would recommend arranging a private driver ahead of time to pick you up at the airport.
🚨 Note! The value of the Egyptian Pound has been in freefall this year, so these prices might be the same in USD but much higher in the local currency due to inflation now.
Is Uber Safe In Egypt?
Taking Uber in Egypt is just as safe as taking Uber anywhere else in the world. I would actually say taking an Uber is actually safer than using normal cabs. This is because Uber is tracked via GPS, there’s an option to share your ride with your emergency contacts, and safety features are built into the app in case something goes wrong.
Safety Tips for Uber in Egypt
✅ Always take a picture of the license plate of the car you’re getting into, and make sure the driver sees that you took a picture!
✅ Ask the driver for your name before you get in the car to make sure it’s the right driver.
✅ Don’t let your Uber driver drop you off in a random spot far from your destination without a good reason.
💰 Uber In Egypt: Prices
Uber is very affordable in Egypt! Unlike most services in Egypt, there’s no “special pricing” for foreigners on Uber, which makes it one of the cheapest ways to travel. You can use Uber’s price estimate feature to see what you will pay before your ride.
💸 Cost: Cairo city center to the airport is only 150 Egyptian Pounds ($8), and a trip within the city is usually only around 20 Egyptian Pounds ($1).
🚕 Uber Vs Taxis In Egypt
Besides the fact that I consider Ubers far safer than normal taxis due to the fact that they’re all tracked by GPS, Ubers are also just a much nicer way to travel! I took some normal white cabs in Alexandria because my Egyptian SIM card wasn’t activated for three days and I didn’t have any data (it was very annoying) and the experience was always terrible. With Uber, there’s a rating system in place so drivers are more conscientious.
I never had an Uber driver light up a cigarette in the middle of a trip, aggressively hit on me and my friends, or not have working seatbelts, but I had all this happen while taking cabs off the street in Egypt. You also usually have to endlessly haggle in Egypt if you’re a foreigner trying to take a cab. What should be a 150 EGP ($8) ride, a taxi driver will start negotiations for at 600 EGP ($30), especially if you’re at a place that gets a lot of tourists.
It’s so much easier to just call a car off Uber and hop in than to spend 10 minutes haggling with aggressive taxi drivers on the street!
Uber Vs. Careem In Egypt
Careem is the other ride-sharing app in Egypt. Careem was started in 2012 and is actually owned by Uber as of 2019. The major difference between Uber and Careem is that Careem operates in a bunch of cities in Egypt and Uber is only available in Alexandria and Cairo. Careem in Egypt is considered a “super app” that has a bunch of services besides just calling taxis. Through Careem you can order food for delivery, order your groceries, call taxis, send money, and even pay for packages to be delivered!
I recommend downloading both Uber and Careem apps while you’re in Egypt. Uber is more popular, but Careem is available in more locations.
Cities in Egypt where Careem operates
Alexandria – Aswan – Asyut – Banha – Beni Suef – Cairo – Damietta – Fayoum – Gotham City – Hurghada – Ismailia – Luxor – Mansoura – Marsa Matruh – Menofia – Minya – Port Said – Qena – Sohag – Suez
Tipping Uber Drivers In Egypt
Tipping, or “Baksheesh” as it’s called in Egypt, is huge. Everyone who works in tourism expects a tip, even for things you wouldn’t usually think about tipping for. I remember at Cairo airport the guy who did my security check wanted a tip 😂, tipping is a big deal there! If you use ride-hailing apps in Egypt you can just give 20-50 Egyptian Pounds ($1-$2.50) for a tip at the end. Even though tipping is expected from foreigners, I still wouldn’t tip if you had a bad experience on your ride.
This is really useful thank you, I have been in Cairo a few days now and completely get what you mean about the aggressive taxi drivers at airport, thankfully I had a pre booked collection. I came here to get information on my next stop Luxor, so your post is really helpful 😀