Ramadan Around the Clock: Hassan Salem, Metro Driver

“When I hear the maghreb call, I eat with my left hand and drive the metro with my right one,” says Hassan Salem, a Cairo metro driver. “On regular days, there is a seven-minute difference between the departure of two metro from a station; but in Ramadan, this period is reduced to 2.5 minutes to transport the commuters quickly,” says Salem, who mans the first line between Helwan and Marg.

The company provides the drivers with snacks, mainly sandwiches, to break their fast as the metro continues to move during the maghreb call, Salem says, adding that he sometimes breaks his fast after the end of the trip to avoid causing commuters any delay. “In Ramadan, I have my breakfast with my family only once a week due to the intensive work and the shortage in the number of the drivers; sometimes I work on my day off.”

The 47-year-old complains about the high temperatures during the fast, describing the driver’s cabin as a “sauna,” but says some commuters’ behavior when their trip delayed few minutes is much worse. “As drivers we hear insults from commuters if the trip is delayed any reason, particularly during the 15 minutes before maghreb,” Salem says. “The commuter does not know that we have to follow traffic lights at each station; he wants only to arrive at his station as quickly as possible to break his fast at home,” Salem says, explaining that he makes from four to five successive journeys in his seven-hour shift. “One complete journey takes 70 minutes along 43 kilometers from Helwan to Marg. The line serves around 60,000 passengers per hour.”