The House of Representatives passed a law on Monday regulating the work of land transport services which use information technology for consumers, including ride hailing applications Uber and Careem in Egypt.
The law was passed after the parliament discussed three articles that had been postponed on Sunday’s session.
The law stated that license fees for each company will be LE30 million to be paid over three years, instead of LE10 million annually.
Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said in an earlier statement in March that the draft law aims at increasing the private sector’s involvement in advancing development, providing jobs and providing the best service to citizens at the lowest price.
She pointed out that the State Council has objected to some of the articles which it considered a violation to the private life of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution, noting that the goal is to reach a law that takes into account the interests of all parties.
Egypt’s Administrative Court on March 20 issued a verdict ordering the government to shut down ride-hailing services Uber and Careem, and to close their mobile apps for violating Egyptian law by using normal cars for commercial use without a license.
Uber and Careem issued statements the following day affirming that they will resume their services in Egypt and will appeal against the court’s ruling which ordered them to suspend operations in the country.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
