Uber and Taxis in Cairo: Apps, White Taxis and Getting From the Airport

Does Uber work in Cairo?

Yes: Uber and Careem both operate throughout Greater Cairo, including Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum area, New Cairo and the airport, and for most visitors they are the best way to get around independently. Fares are shown upfront, the route is tracked, and you can pay by card in the app or in cash. Careem, which began in Dubai, has been owned by Uber since 2020 but runs as a separate app; other apps, including inDrive, also operate, with ride types and availability changing over time.

Rideshare fares in Cairo are low by Australian standards, though they rise with demand at peak hours, in the rain and late at night. Both apps offer a standard car and more comfortable options; the extra for a newer car with reliable air-conditioning is usually worth paying in summer. Check the options in the app when you land, because product names change.

Outside Cairo, apps are less dependable. They work in Alexandria; in Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea resorts, availability is patchy at the time of writing and visitors usually rely on hotel cars, local taxis or a pre-arranged driver.

How do you use Uber safely in Cairo?

Check the plate, model and driver photo before getting in, sit in the back, share your trip with someone, and keep the whole trip inside the app. These habits make rideshare in Cairo as safe as anywhere.

• Match the plate: Egyptian plates show Arabic numerals and letters, and the app shows them too. Compare the numbers carefully; our Arabic phrases guide helps with the numerals.
• Pin your pickup precisely. Cairo addresses are vague and drivers often call to clarify, usually in Arabic. Drop the pin at a recognisable landmark, a hotel entrance or a side street rather than a six-lane road.
• Have a local number. A local SIM or eSIM means drivers can call or message you; see SIM cards and eSIMs in Egypt.
• Cash needs small notes. If you pay cash, have close to the exact fare; drivers often lack change for large notes.
• Never take it off-app. If a driver asks you to cancel and pay cash, decline politely.
• Sit in the back, which is normal practice for women travelling alone and perfectly acceptable for anyone. See also solo female travel in Egypt.

What about Cairo's white taxis?

Cairo's street taxis are white cars with a meter, and they can be hailed almost anywhere; the catch is that drivers don't always switch the meter on for visitors. They replaced the city's old black-and-white taxis, which have largely disappeared.

If you do flag one down:

• Say your destination and point to the meter before you get in. If the driver won't use it, agree a fare first or let it go; another will come along.
• Know roughly what the trip would cost on an app, so you can judge a quoted fare.
• Carry small notes. Rounding up is the usual tip; there is no need to add more for a short ride.
• Have your destination written in Arabic, or the name of a well-known landmark nearby, since many drivers speak little English.
• Expect older cars with little or no air-conditioning and no seatbelts in the back.

Hotel taxis and limousines are a third option: dearer, but booked through the concierge at a set rate. Alexandria's taxis are yellow and black and follow similar habits.

How do you get from Cairo Airport to your hotel?

The easiest option is a driver booked in advance who meets you in the arrivals hall; the next easiest are the official airport transport desks or Uber and Careem from the signed pickup area. Avoid the men who approach you inside the terminal offering a taxi.

• Pre-arranged transfer: the driver waits with your name, handles your bags and knows the hotel. After a 20-plus-hour journey from Australia, this is the option we recommend.
• Airport limousine desks: official services inside arrivals sell fixed-price transfers; prices are higher than an app but set in advance.
• Uber and Careem: available at the airport; follow the app's instructions to the designated pickup point, which differs between terminals.

Allow roughly 40 to 70 minutes to Downtown or Zamalek and 60 to 90 minutes to hotels near the pyramids, longer in the evening rush. If you are flying into Sphinx International Airport, west of Giza, the pyramids and the GEM are much closer. Our Cairo Airport guide covers terminals, visas on arrival and lounges.

How long do journeys across Cairo take?

Plan by area and allow generous time: Cairo traffic is heavy most of the day, and the same trip can take 20 minutes at 7am and over an hour at 5pm. Fridays, especially mornings, are the quietest time on the roads. These are typical times by car outside the worst peaks.

Where your hotel is matters enormously; our guide to where to stay in Cairo compares Giza, Zamalek, Downtown and New Cairo. For some central trips, such as Downtown to Coptic Cairo, the Cairo Metro beats any car.

How do you ride with children or lots of luggage?

Book a larger car through the app or a pre-arranged transfer, and bring your own child seat if you need one: car seats are almost never fitted in Cairo's rideshare cars or taxis. Most standard Uber and Careem cars are small sedans with modest boot space, which is fine for two people with day bags but tight for a family with suitcases.

• Choose the bigger option: both apps offer larger vehicles in Cairo; it costs more, but it's the difference between fitting four suitcases or not.
• Car seats: rear seatbelts are often missing or tucked away in older cars, and child seats are not provided. A lightweight travel seat, or a transfer company that supplies one on request, is the safe answer.
• Airport runs: for arrivals with bags after a long flight, a pre-booked van is easier than coordinating an app pickup outside a crowded terminal.
• Prams: a compact folding pram fits most boots; footpaths in much of Cairo are uneven, so a baby carrier is often more useful anyway.

Our guide to Egypt with kids covers family travel in more depth.

When is a private driver better than Uber?

A private driver is better for full sightseeing days with several stops, for trips to Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis, and whenever you have luggage or a tight schedule. The driver waits at each site with your bags and water in an air-conditioned car, so you aren't hunting for a ride outside a remote monument where apps struggle.

Apps come into their own for short evening trips: dinner in Zamalek, a stroll in Khan el-Khalili or a Nile-side café. Many of our travellers combine both: a driver and Egyptologist for the big days, and Uber for free evenings. Our Cairo and Pyramids stopover includes every transfer with a private driver.