Egypt’s Administrative Court to consider lawsuit on canceling Uber, Careem licenses next June

CAIRO – 15 May 2024: Egypt’s Administrative Judicial Court is expected to consider a lawsuit filed by a lawyer demanding the cancellation of Uber and Careem Applications licenses in Egypt, next June.

The lawsuit accuses the two transportation apps of violating the conditions of the licenses issued, after the increasing rate of kidnapping crimes to which women and girls were exposed during the past few months by some drivers.

The lawsuit also states that Uber and Careem violated the rules and regulations for granting operating permits to vehicle drivers stipulated in the law.

 The lawsuit demanded that transport companies be obligated to adopt monitoring systems inside cars and link them to the internal system of companies and the Ministry of Interior, to monitor drivers’ behavior from the start of the trip until its end so that the trip is safe, in order to ensure the safety and lives of citizens.

Last February, a girl called Habiba Al Shamaa, known in media as “al Shorouk Girl,” was announced dead after her health condition deteriorated.

Habiba jumped out of an Uber car after fearing a kidnapping attempt from the driver who allegedly sprayed perfume inside the car which made her feel threatened.

An eyewitness informed the police that he observed the girl opening the backdoor of the car and jumping out. Prior to losing consciousness, she reportedly informed the eyewitness that the driver attempted to abduct and assault her. Since February 21, Habiba has remained unconscious, with a cognitive ability rated at 3 out of 15 due to a brain hemorrhage.

The Uber driver was initially detained for four days pending investigations following a public prosecution order. Subsequently, he was further imprisoned for over 15 days pending ongoing investigations.

The Uber driver admitted to the crimes, claiming that when he closed the car windows and sprayed perfume, he was startled by the girl jumping out of the car. However, he continued driving without stopping out of fear of reprisal or arrest.

The Ministry of Interior issued a statement indicating that the Shorouk Police Department in the Cairo Security Directorate received a report from a hospital in Shorouk following Habiba’s case. She was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition with head injuries and a disturbed level of consciousness.