Egypt's Land Transport Regulatory Authority and the alliance of bus rapid transit (BRT) system on Cairo's ring road have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct technical and economic feasibility studies on BRT buses. The MoU's signing was witnessed by Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir, with the alliance consisting of international and national companies. It includes: Mwasalat Misr, the sustainable urban transport company and trademark owner of the first smart bus in Egypt; France's TransDev; a number of Egyptian companies, such as Orascom; and the MCV Transportation Company. The aim of the MoU is to study and establish an express transportation system for BRT buses on the ring road of Greater Cairo. This study will include mobile units, stations, an electronic ticketing system, trip information, pedestrian crossings, waiting stations, and integration with other transportation methods. El-Wazir stressed that this MoU comes as part of the political leadership's directives to expand modern transport networks and maximise the mass transit system in Egypt. BRT buses, which are express buses running on isolated and large-capacity lanes, will be run for the first time in Egypt on the ring road around Greater Cairo. This is considered the most important traffic axis in Greater Cairo, where approximately 213,000 cars pass. El-Wazir pointed out the importance of the quick completion of these studies in order to start implementing this important project, which would be a great leap in means of transportation. It will also meet the increase in demand on transportation when the Egyptian Government moves to the New Administrative Capital (NAC), and would come in line with the renaissance witnessed by Cairo's traffic hubs. It will also contribute to reducing traffic congestion along the road, as well as reduce the use of private cars and prevent microbuses from parking on the sides of the Ring Road. He added that this project will be the starting point for this type of transportation in Egypt, especially in Cairo and Alexandria. This project, upon implementation, will be ideally integrated with the transportation network and future means of transport such as buses, monorail, metro and railway lines, as well as light electric trains (LRT). It will also be connected to important stops on the Ring Road, such as Mounib, El Marg, and the new transportation centre. El-Wazir added that upon the completion of the study, the investment model and total cost of the project will be determined. The minister noted that the comprehensive development of the Ring Road and the future construction of the routes and terminals of this type of bus will be taken into account. Once completed, the road will be made up of seven lanes in each direction, except for the Mounib Bridge, which will be eight lanes in each direction. Mohsen Sabra, Vice President of Mwasalat Misr, said that the company, in cooperation with TransDev, will work to manage the operation and ensure the quality of services provided to citizens. It will also be developing and managing the electronic payment and collection system, which will be compatible with the unified card system targeted by the Ministry of Transportation. It will also be compatible with the digital transformation operations and financial inclusion targeted by the Egyptian state.
