Egypt taxi drivers block Cairo street to protest Uber

CAIRO — Egyptian security forces fired tear gas Tuesday to disperse taxi drivers who had blocked a major road in the capital, Cairo, to protest Uber and other car-hailing applications, which the head of the Cairo traffic police insists are illegal.

“We are not leaving until an official comes and gives us his word that all these apps will be shut down in Egypt,” said Sherif Ali, a taxi driver and one of the protest organizers.

Taxi drivers have complained that Uber drivers have an unfair advantage because they do not have to pay the same kind of taxes or fees, nor follow the same licensing procedures.

In addition to paying specified taxes, drivers must carry a special license and be registered as a taxi, said el-Degwy, who added that officers have even brought disgruntled taxi drivers along to demonstrate the crackdown in action.

In addition to the police crackdown, Uber drivers have faced vigilante violence from taxi drivers.

In some instances, Uber drivers have responded to an order and found an angry mob of taxi drivers waiting to drag them to a police station.

Protest organizer Ali said that drivers have begun organizing training courses against sexual harassment and thinking about ways to improve their services.