Cairo (AFP)

Cairo, a megalopolis of more than 20 million inhabitants, known for its monster traffic jams and its air pollution, is suffering from a serious transport crisis to which several startups have decided to tackle.

Polluting buses, in poor condition, often crowded, only three metro lines: public transport does not seem able to meet the challenge.

No more than the informal system of minibuses, microbuses or even tuk-tuk, taxis, VTC and the myriads of individual vehicles that ply the streets of the Egyptian capital, without any reliable estimate establishing the number.

"The problem of road traffic in Greater Cairo results in a very low average speed of traffic, which does not exceed 10 km / h", explains to AFP Oussama Okail, professor at the University of Cairo, specialist in circulation.

According to the academic, travel times in Cairo can exceed 90 minutes, or more than a full day in a five-day week.

From carpooling to traffic information via VTCs, a multitude of applications already exist to help Cairo users.

But faced with the chaotic situation, any technological innovation is welcome.

Thus, several young companies - winners of a recent Franco-Egyptian startup competition - have launched themselves, each in their own way, into the battle.

- Mapping transport -

Among the most ambitious projects, the startup "Transport for Cairo" (TfC) has embarked on an in-depth mapping of the city's transport.

"By mapping large cities and using the data for future planning, we hope for change for the better," Mohamed Hegazy, 30, director and co-founder of TfC told AFP.

In the field, TfC teams list all possible routes, over all distances.

The next step is to digitize and analyze the data to optimize traffic and "think about the ultimate goal: to decarbonize the entire sector".

“Everything must be electric,” says Hegazy, acknowledging that the startup launched in 2015 is still in its infancy.

"We are working with the authorities to change the way the system works," he said.

The World Bank and the Egyptian Ministry of Transport are supporting this project aimed at planning transport in Cairo "within 10, 20 years".

For its part, Ocra Wallet, another fledgling company, is focusing on another aspect of the transport issue: the roughly 500 million Egyptian pounds (25 million euros) that circulate in small change every day.

Khalid Khaleel, in his thirties, founder of this startup launched two years ago, aims to "digitize small change in Egypt by 2030".

"We are working to make payments for transport easier," he said, adding that cash is "dangerous" because it can be a vector for viruses such as Covid-19.

At the same time, Ocra Wallet subsidizes ticket prices for users by selling advertising to private bus companies.

"And the money that comes from that, we use it to help the users but also the drivers", he says.

- Innovative touch -

In the competitive carpooling sector, the startup Tink claims an innovative touch.

"We have turned carpooling more into social gatherings," Adel el-Mahrouky, 38, one of the founders of Tink, told AFP.

The young company is working to meet the challenge of limiting the number of cars on the road, in particular by using a system of points redeemable for cash or gasoline, in order to encourage motorists not to drive. journey alone.

In 2014, a World Bank note estimated that eight billion dollars are lost each year in Egypt due to delays and fuel costs.

According to the World Bank, the cost of air pollution was around 1% of GDP in 2013 and congestion is "the main source of pollution from transport".

To relieve congestion, the state has relaunched, under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the construction of a new administrative capital east of Cairo.

And the authorities are building vast motorway bridges across the city, at the risk of endangering its architectural heritage.

But according to Mr. Okail, "the solution lies in (an improvement of) public transport".

© 2021 AFP