The House of Representatives’ ICT committee held hearings last month into ride-sharing apps Uber and Careem that have seen MPs push for changes to the companies’ business models, suggest that certain of the fees they charge should be amended (or are illegal), and demand that taxi drivers somehow be integrated into the program (see examples here and here). Uber wants to invest USD 500 mn in Egypt. Do we really want to make that impossible?

Readers may have noticed that the House’s suggestions incensed us, so when Uber’s boss in Egypt, Anthony Khoury, reached out and asked if we’d run a guest op-ed on the issue, we said yes. His piece appears below; feel free to reach out to us at editorial@enterprise.press if you have an op-idea idea you’d like to pitch.

When cars were first invented, people had to walk in front of them waving red flags as a safety measure. It seemed a sensible way to regulate a new technology at that time. But the earth moved onward — quite literally — and the regulations changed.

Today, this change is happening quickly. Uber — an app through which people can connect with drivers to get from A to B in a safe, reliable and affordable way — is now available in almost 500 cities across more than 70 countries. Just six years ago, mobile phones lacked the battery power for Uber to work. Regulatory reform, on the other hand, has been much slower in many countries. Based on current dialogue, however, we are hoping for Egypt to lead the way for the MENA region. Tap here to read the full op-ed and view a map of the areas Uber is serving in Cairo today.