Nile Taxi previously a solution to the heavy traffic of Cairo has now become a new tourist attraction in Egypt.
As Al-arabiya puts it, whatever their social or political differences, Cairo’s residents agree on one thing: the traffic is a nightmare.
Increasingly desperate to escape the gridlock and pollution of the Egyptian capital, more people are now using the Nile for their daily commute to work.
A new taxi service that uses speed boats to whizz passengers up and down the river has proven the most exciting alternative for many stressed-out Egyptians.
It’s fast, it’s fun and most of all, it gives passengers a quick break from Cairo’s commotion.
“I get to work relaxed - I’m not stressed, I’m not nervous,” says Ahmed Amin, 43, a father of two who used to spend nearly four hours a day getting to work and back before discovering Nile Taxi.
At 30 Egyptian pounds ($4.3) for a one-way ticket, the service is beyond the reach of many Egyptians, 25 percent of whom live in poverty according to government figures.
But it is a relief for those used to taking road taxis at roughly the same price, or those tired of driving their own cars through traffic.
From the boat, Cairo - a city of more than 18 million people - feels green, orderly and breezy.
But just a few steps from the makeshift boat jetties, the traffic is so bad and the heat so stifling that motorbikes take to the pavement and taxi drivers switch their engines off.
Even cab drivers of Cairo seem to be content with the new alternative transport “Let them ride boats. Frankly I’d be happier with fewer customers if the streets were less congested,” says cab driver Sayyed Ali speaking with AFP.
