New app makes hailing Cairo taxi 'safe for women'

When Sally Saied, a radio anchor in her 20s, can't find a cab in Cairo, she turns to Easy Taxi, a mobile app that connects passengers with specific taxis carrying its logo.

"Easy Taxi is a nice experience. When I am stuck somewhere and I request it, it comes in about 10 minutes and the driver never says no to any destination, unlike regular taxis," Saied said at a crowded spot near Tahrir Square.

Easy Taxi provides numerous advantages for both sides. It appeals greatly to women due to its safety and well-mannered drivers in the male-dominant, most-populous Arab country, which has a high rate of sexual harassment.

Saied said, "I see it is safe for women and girls as it provides data about the taxi and the driver once the request is approved."

The app to access the time-saving taxis can be downloaded and installed on phones with GPS capability. Once signed in, a customer can request an Easy Taxi, and the one nearest to their location will be there in a few minutes.

The modern means of transportation provides passengers with safer and faster taxis and saves cabdrivers time when looking for customers.

Modern ways

At busy Sudan Street in Giza, Hesham Hamdy, a 30-year-old Easy Taxi driver, was receiving his fare from a passenger before heading to pick up another customer.

"The Easy Taxi is paid according to the meter - nothing more, nothing less. It's safer for women, as they know all the data about an Easy Taxi driver beforehand," Hamdy said.

He said more Egyptians are turning to modern ways to use taxis, judging from the increasing number of requests he gets each day.

Easy Taxi driver Mostafa Taha, 36, said he has started to pick up "good and classy" customers thanks to the new communication system.

"Technology is amazing," Taha said while driving his cab. "Those using online apps to request taxis are mostly highly educated people. It only takes me five minutes to reach the target customer."

'White taxis' Egyptians have always had taxis with talkative drivers, including those who drive under the influence of drugs or those who ask for more money than the fare on the meter.

But the Easy Taxi app spares them the headache of bargaining or engaging in unnecessary talk.

Mohamed Abdel-Wahhab, a 26-year-old passenger, said after a short taxi ride, "The good thing about the new Easy Taxis is that the drivers are respectful, well-dressed, and never talk to passengers unless the passengers talk to them."

Newly introduced "white taxis" have also replaced black-and-white ones that used to operate in Cairo. Although the new cabs look neat and are in good condition, the drivers still rig the meters or stop them completely to receive higher fares.

Kholoud Abdel-Aziz, a woman in her mid-20s, hailed Easy Taxi for its reputation on safety and for its drivers abiding by the fare meter.

However, she complained that some Easy Taxi drivers have started to reject destinations after they have approved the requests, which was not the case when Easy Taxi first appeared two years ago.

"Also, in the beginning, Easy Taxi drivers used to insist on giving you change, but now they keep it without being told to, which is impolite," she said.