Cairo: Egypt’s administrative court issued a ruling on Tuesday stopping the operations of ride sharing apps Uber and Careem, state media reported.
Both services had sparked protests by taxi drivers who complained that the drivers did not need to pay the hefty fees to operate transportation vehicles.
The court accepted a petition by a lawyer demanding the government stop licensing Uber and Careem activities in Egypt, including their online applications, state-owned newspaper Al Ahram reported on its website.
The court’s decision may be appealed. Careem, a start-up headquartered in the UAE, operates in the Middle East and Asia. In a statement to Gulf News, a Careeem spokesperson said: “We have heard the news and can confirm Careem is operating. We have not received any official request to stop operations. It’s business as usual.”
Many Egyptians who complain about taxi services, including drivers who refuse to turn on their meters or their air conditioning during the hot summer, had switched to the ride sharing apps.
