Exclusive: Uber Egypt arrives today

Uber, the app that connects smartphone-weilding passengers with freelance drivers, has arrived in Egypt.

The local operations will be in beta testing for the foreseeable future – the company touched down in Egypt for the first time only five months ago – and it’s certainly not short of rivals, but Uber international launcher Anthony El-Khoury is excited by the possibilities presented by the Middle East’s largest market.

Speaking exclusively to Wamda, El-Khoury said Uber would partner with “over three” local limousine companies to roll out UberX, a product that taps private car company drivers during quiet periods (not to be confused with UberX in the US which is the peer-to-peer system and known as UberPop everywhere else).

Egypt’s draw card

The boyishly handsome Lebanon native believes now is the perfect moment for Uber’s Egyptian entre.

In the deserted downstairs cafe of Cairo’s The District (the company’s temporary home), El-Khoury explained the city’s attraction: its booming tech and entrepreneur scene, and rising smartphone penetration.

“There’s so much potential in this city,” he said. “When we saw this amazing entrepreneurial wave hit Cairo we were like, this is the wave that we really want to ride, this is the place we need to be.”

Original article by Rachel Williamson

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Exclusive: Uber Egypt arrives today