Taxi association refuses to cooperate with Uber as it launches new white taxi hailing service: The head of Egypt’s association for white taxi drivers has refused to cooperate with ride-hailing apps as Uber launches a new service allowing users to hail white taxis in Egypt. Mahmoud Abdel Hamid told Al Mal that the association would not accept working with an intermediary company, and reiterated that the body is developing a mobile app of its own to compete in the ride-hailing market. He did not give a specific date for the launch of the app — which we first heard about last August — but said that unlike other ride-hailing companies it would not charge commissions from its drivers.

The new Uber service got off the ground several days ago. An Uber source said the fare for the new service is comprised of a base price of EGP 7.25, plus EGP 2.5 per km (rising to EGP 3/km after travelling 30 km). Customers will be charged EGP 0.35 per minute of waiting time. Uber will take 19% commission, including the 2% VAT.