CAIRO — On April 28, Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel Ati laid the cornerstone of the River Bus Project in Dakahlia, northeast of the Nile Delta. The project will cost 21 million Egyptian pounds ($1.1 million) and is part of the Egyptian government’s efforts to expand the use of Nile River buses in the transport of individuals and goods.

Several regions in Greater Cairo, including Cairo, Giza, Qalyubia and Helwan, are connected by river buses, which are boats that navigate on the river. In this vein, the Egyptian government is looking to reduce traffic congestion. A river bus ticket costs 2 Egyptian pounds, the equivalent of 11 cents.

According to a December 2017 article in Al-Sharq al-Awsat, river buses emerged in the 1960s as part of a project implemented by the Public Transport Authority. The project was based on a decision issued by the Egyptian government following the July 1952 Revolution, and the boats are still well maintained.

Abdel Azim Mohamed, the head of the River Transport Authority (RTA), told Al-Monitor over the phone that the RTA prepared a project earlier this year to spread river buses in the governorates that overlook the Nile. By establishing new berths in the governorates overlooking the Nile and purchasing boats, the number of individuals and goods transported through the Nile River will increase.