The price of Metro tickets will increase once “smart gates” have been installed at Metro entrances and the construction of the third Metro line (Imbaba-Cairo Airport) is completed, Egypt’s Ministry of Transportation said.
Official spokesperson of the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT), Ahmed Abd el-Hadi, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the new gates will help the authority divide metro stations into different zones. Tickets will then be prices according to zones surpassed by metro riders.
Abd al-Hadi noted that the NAT has not yet set a date for the ticket price increase, instead prioritizing the installment of the “smart gates” and improving Metro services.
The Metro ticket price was doubled in March to LE 2.
According to the Minister of Transport, the decision was necessary to guarantee that the Metro would not be suspended and would be able to absorb the growing number of users after operating new lines.
The Metro service has accrued losses of up to LE200 million annually since 2010, besides accumulated debts of up to LE 500 million, owed to a number of ministries and companies, according to a ministry statement in March.
Edited translation from al-Masry al-Youm
