Private Minibuses Add Chaos to Cairo

A popular movie calls them “Asphalt Demons.” An angry letter to Cairo’s biggest newspaper demands: “Who will do something about them?”

And across the sprawling capital, Egyptians are quick to volunteer harrowing tales of ever so close calls with microbusat--the tens of thousands of private minibuses that careen through Cairo’s chaotic streets in search of riders.

In a city where rush hour never ends, the men behind the wheels of the microbusat are bad drivers. Really bad. So bad that the government has been forced to take action in response to mounting popular anger.

Interior Minister Hassan Alfy announced in September that 10 special police teams were being formed “to impose discipline” on the streets. He also declared that no more permits would be issued for minibuses in Cairo.

That will limit officially recognized minibuses to about 50,000 for metropolitan Cairo, the ministry says. But it concedes there are at least 20,000 operating without licenses.

“They are the source of Cairo’s problems,” said Ahmed Mohammed, looking sadly from his cigarette stand at Ramsis Square, the city’s busiest.

“The drivers are all bullies,” he complained. “Either they have just been released from prison or they are dealing drugs.”

The microbusat are not exactly postcard material for a city already hard-pressed to convey a sense of order.

With a maddening fondness for speed, they swerve in and out of teeming traffic, dodging cars, donkey carts piled with trash and, occasionally, a hapless pedestrian.

The sliding door is usually open, making it easier for the 14 or so passengers to get on and off. The vans may or may not come to a stop. Next to the door sits a young boy, who bellows out the name of the next destination.

Often, drivers literally race through the streets, hoping to arrive first for passengers waiting at the next stop.

And there are the ever-present horns.

“It’s just to warn people. That’s all,” said Mohammed Abdel-Gawad, a minibus driver who honked 164 times during a 20-minute ride. “Is it better for me to hit the horn or to hit someone?”

Another minibus driver, Raghab Mohammed, has been on the road for 21 years. Despite appearances, a code actually rules over the streets, he said.

“There’s a system between the drivers,” Mohammed said, after carrying on a conversation with the driver of another minibus while zooming down Pyramids Road. “I respect most cars, although I might not respect a taxi. There’s competition between us.”

“But I definitely respect those,” he said, pointing to a rumbling, exhaust-belching, full-size bus bearing down behind him.

Often, three drivers will lease a minibus, operating it eight hours apiece. Monthly payments are as much as 3,500 Egyptian pounds ($1,020) over four years. Bringing in enough on fares that never exceed 1.5 Egyptian pounds (44 cents) makes for fast driving.

As Mohammed put it, “When you stop, you’re losing money.”