Uber in Egypt is a godsend. The respite from the stress of constantly having to haggle with notoriously persistent taxi drivers, not to mention actually paying a fair local price, make it invaluable. The downside is that it’s currently only available in two cities: Cairo and Alexandria. However, you can be thankful that it’s available in Cairo, as the Cairo taxi drivers are the absolute worst in Egypt for trying to scam you!
We used Uber dozens of times during our week in Cairo, and then again in Alexandria, and have a few insights to share. Almost all our experiences were fantastic - in fact, some of the loveliest people we met in Egypt were Uber drivers - but there are a couple of things we want to warn you about before you hit the road.
Also, to put any incidents we had into context: we took more than 40 Uber journeys and had a handful of issues. When you compare this to the issues we had with taxi drivers, it’s nothing. The taxi drivers are notorious for a reason!
Here’s everything you need to know about using Uber in Egypt.
Tips for using Uber in Egypt
1. Don’t pay in cash, make sure you pay for every trip via your credit card in the app
As mentioned, we had 99.9% positive experiences using Uber in Egypt, but this is still Egypt and you want Uber to take the payment for the trip you’re making via the app. Some drivers will ask to pay in cash (which is allowed in Egypt unlike our home country), which could create problems.
If you try and pay in cash, you run the risk of being asked for an inflated amount midway through the journey, at a time when you can’t get out. Always specify to the driver that you want to pay by card (and select credit card inside the app) as this takes the worry away and the makes the experience seamless.
Another thing to think about is the bank account that you have linked to Uber. As every journey is charged in the local currency (Egyptian pounds), you can easily find yourself paying high currency conversions and foreign transaction fees. Before you go to Egypt, we’d recommend linking an account with either low, or zero foreign transaction fees.
2. Do not agree to do a deal outside the app
Funnily enough, after mentioning Cairo as being tourist scam central it was actually only in Alexandria where we were asked several times to do deals outside the app. We were asked to pay in cash outside of Uber, so that the drivers didn’t have to pay Uber a cut.
Now to be honest, this wouldn’t bother me if you could guarantee it would all go smoothly, however, to protect yourself, don’t go outside the app. You don’t want to end up being asked for more money and having no protection from Uber. You may as well take a regular cab if you’re going to go down this route.
3. Make sure the driver has accepted the fare before your journey begins
This only happened to us once, but in Cairo we did have an incident where the driver accepted the fare, we got in and started the journey before Joe realised the driver had then subsequently declined the trip.
We questioned him and tried to get him to accept it. He said he couldn’t, so we ended up getting out. It could have been a simple mistake, but when he asked to do a cash transaction we became suspicious. We hopped out as it wasn’t worth the risk and it was easy enough to book another Uber ride.
4. You can travel between Cairo and Alexandria, but it isn’t always easy
Uber in Egypt allows you to book long distance journeys, with the journey between Cairo and Alexandria being a common one as it’s available within both these cities too. This is a 2.5-3 hour journey and costs around 1100 EGP (roughly USD $44) so a pretty decent fare when compared to the average drive in Cairo or Alexandria costing just USD 0.40.
However, this can bring problems. Whilst there was always someone willing to do the journey within the app, you had to go through a few people to find them. Some would turn up, ask to do a deal outside the app and then refuse to take you via Uber.
One driver got annoyed when we didn’t want to do this, so refused to cancel the trip within the five minute wait time, which meant we got charged a fee for cancelling the trip too late. It was only 15 EGP, but it was annoying because he then picked up the fare again and tried to do the same thing!
Eventually you’ll get someone to take you within the app, but leave a little more time than you’d usually need to get a driver because this happened to us in both cities several times.
5. Uber can and does operate at the airport - don’t believe the taxi drivers
On leaving Cairo Airport, you will almost certainly be met by at least one persistent taxi driver. If you tell them you’re waiting for an Uber, they will try and convince you that Uber drivers cannot come into the airport and that they will cancel the fare.
They are so adamant that at first I wondered if there was some truth in it, but we held our ground, and low and behold the Uber arrived. If they’re taking a while it’s probably because they got stuck in Cairo’s diabolical traffic.
Our ride from the airport to Giza cost less than USD $8 with Uber. Taxis will usually start at USD $30-40 and not want to budge below USD $20. Wait for that Uber!
6. You might want to consider upgrading to Uber comfort
Generally speaking (and this goes for taxis too) the cars you get with Uber in Egypt are not in the greatest condition. Seatbelts in the back of the car are incredibly rare.
If this is going to bother you, you might want to select Uber comfort instead of the cheapest cars. They’ll still be low cost.
The only downside if you do want to go for this option is that there are less of these cars around, so you can end up waiting much longer for a ride.
7. Fares are extremely low, so tip generously
The first time we used Uber in Cairo we couldn’t believe the cost. It was 20 EGP (USD $0.40) for a 20 minute ride.
When we thought about what we were paying for taxis in places like Sharm and Luxor, it seemed ridiculously low. The Uber drivers were almost universally so lovely and never asked for tips or 5 star ratings. We always made sure to tip and leave them great ratings.
8. Watch out for Cairo traffic
Cairo’s traffic is some of the worst in the world and sometimes it can take a while to get a lift while you’re driver has to battle through the stop start mayhem. Allow extra time if you have reservations for something, or you’re heading out with only a few hours left of an attraction’s opening hours.
Early mornings and Fridays are the best times to make long journeys, but you can’t always make that work, so it’s best just to allow more time than you think you’ll need.
9. Only pick drivers with high ratings
Of the few incidents we mentioned, none occurred with drivers who had a rating of 4.9 or above. If a driver picks up the ride that has a low rating, you can instantly cancel it and wait for a driver with a high rating (which was most of them).
Frequently asked questions about Uber in Egypt
Is Uber in Egypt safe?
I can honestly say that I always felt safe in the Ubers we took. I actually felt much more likely to be scammed in taxis than Uber, and I missed Uber so much when we got to Luxor and had to deal with the taxi mafia again. Also Uber had a feature that I’ve never noticed in other countries, but probably exists everywhere - they’ll send you a message if your car has been stationary for what’s considered an unusual amount of time. It says something along the lines of: ‘your car has been stationary for a long time. Is everything ok?’
I thought this was a great feature, but it must get used a lot in Cairo because stationary traffic is the name of the game there!
However, when it comes to safety, there is one downside to all cars in Egypt, which goes for almost every taxi we took too, and that’s that seatbelts in the backseats are like gold dust. Now I am rather partial to wearing a seatbelt and found that a bit unnerving, but it’s unfortunately a reality of travelling around Egypt. As mentioned above, Uber comfort is much more likely to have seatbelts.
Do you need a local sim card to use Uber in Egypt?
Technically speaking, no you don’t, but you do want to be able to use mobile data if you plan on using Uber. This is primarily because the wifi is patchy, slow and sparse, and so if anything does happen, having a local sim card will make it a lot easier to get another Uber, or figure out another way of getting around.
Unless you have a great deal for roaming on your current plan, we recommend buying a sim card in Egypt. The sims here are cheap, reliable and come with heaps of data even at the lowest price point. There are stores in every city, but the easiest way is to stop at the stalls at the arrivals hall in the airport.
Note that very few Uber drivers will speak more than a few words of English. This was never a problem, but if you have a local sim or sim that can roam, then you’ll be able to use Google translate if needed.
Which places in Egypt have Uber?
Unfortunately only Cairo and Alexandria have Uber in Egypt. Luxor and Aswan supposedly have Careem, but we never once managed to get a ride. It’s a shame Sharm El Sheikh doesn’t have Uber because their taxis were the worst rip off of all! Hopefully one day Uber will be available in more areas, but for now it’s limited.
You can use Uber to get to places in the surrounds of Cairo though, such as Saqqara etc.
Uber prices in Egypt
Prices are incredibly low for Uber in Egypt, you’ll notice this even more so when you in travel areas without it and have to start paying the hugely inflated tourist fares. Fares vary slightly if traffic is terrible, but not by that much.
A few example fares in Cairo December 2022:
From Giza to the Egyptian Museum - 72 EGP (USD $2.90)
Cairo airport to Downtown Cairo - 202 EGP (USD $8.10)
Downtown Cairo to the Pyramids - 207 EGP (USD $8.30)
Short local trips within Cairo and Giza 10-30 EGP.
Note that the US dollar has fluctuated wildly against the Egyptian pound in recent times. These prices are correct for the time we travelled.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support!
