Will Egypt issue a unified public transportation card?
A study is underway, headed by South Korean firms, to assess the Alexandria and Cairo transportation networks in anticipation of the release of a unified public transportation card.
CAIRO — South Korean consulting firms are currently conducting a study of public transportation in Cairo and Alexandria in anticipation of the municipalities, and eventually others, introducing a unified public transportation card.
As envisioned, the card would save citizens time, and possibly money, that is now wasted transferring from one means of transportation to another and would require that money be collected electronically, thus eliminating printed paper tickets and money collectors. The card would also reduce the use of paper currency, which in turn would reduce the frequency of having to print new money to replace worn or tattered bills.
The European Development and Reconstruction Bank, in cooperation with the Export-Import Bank of Korea, are providing a grant, agreed to on Nov. 23, for about $350,000, to underwrite technical support for the project, which will be overseen by South Korean consultants. The grant money is expected to be released after the completion and acceptance of the South Korean study underway.
The grant agreement was signed at the Ministry of Transport by Sayed Ahmed, head of the Greater Cairo Transport Regulatory Authority, officials from the Alexandria Passenger Transportation Authority, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Export-Import Bank of Korea. Egyptian Transport Minister Hesham Arafat was in attendance.
