The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

While we adore our beautiful Cairo, we know for sure that there’s more to Egypt than the capital. Trips to Sukhna, Sahel, Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Dahab, and many more locations, makes us realize that this country is home to a host of beautiful sights and locations. But getting around Egypt is never an easy task, though it did get much easier thanks to the bus transportation company, Blue Bus.

Unlike a lot of private bus companies , Blue Bus offers a lot of perks and options for its travelers. You don’t have to reach your destination with a broken back, because they have your back – somewhat literally – with their comfortable chairs. You can enjoy your time via your individual screen situated on the back of each chair, so you’ll be traveling with your own individual entertainment center which houses books, games, and movies, just like an aeroplane. But that’s not it, Blue Bus also offers Wi-Fi services for all passengers, plus an outlet to keep your smartphone charged up and running, and to keep yourself you charged up, they offer a small meal, all included in the price of the ticket.

There are two sets of seats, but they’re divided into two categories. Think of it as you would the Business and Economy categories in aeroplanes. The Economy Class section contains seats that are placed next to one another, while the Business Class section offers travelers individual seating for extra comfort and privacy. Take a trip to Sahel as an example: Economy Class seats are priced at 165 EGP, while a ticket for an individual seat is priced at 210 EGP.

There are a number of options for booking. You can book on their website and pay by credit card, but you may have some problems online. Or you can call their call centre, 16128, to book your spot, then pay through Fawry within a period of three hours. Blue Bus has been operating for around a year, but it seems they need to expand their call centre because it can be a little tedious trying to reach them through their hotline as the number is always busy.

As for the trip itself, we tried them out on a trip from Sahel to Cairo. We started at a station near Marassi, then stopped at Porto Marina, Marina, and Zahran Market. Once we arrived in Cairo, our Blue Bus stopped at two stations, one in Sheikh Zayed, and the other in New Cairo near Moshir Tantawy Mosque. While the trip was largely comfortable, we were disappointed by the amount of time we had spent at the stops, while picking up new passengers. All in all, the whole trip took us six hours, which is a lot for a trip from Sahel to Cairo.

We like a lot of things about Blue Bus, and they seem to be headed in the right direction. We just hope that they can fix up those negatives. Blue Bus currently offer trips to a number of places including to/from Sahel, Ain Sukhna, Hurghada, and more. For more information, check out their website, Facebook page, or call them on 16128.

Translated by: Sherif Khairy