1. Project Information Brief project description Cairo, Egypt Bus Rapid Transit System with potential capacity of 45,000 people per person per direction Phase 1- 42 kilometers Duration: 2015-2018 Partners and Key Stakeholders: Giza Governorate, Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, General Organization of Physical Planning, New Urban Communities Authority Ministry of Transport Homepage: www.brtcairo.info Financial Information The government is seeking commercial or multilateral development bank loans to help cover the initial capital investment of USD 210 million. The government will establish a special operating unit to manage the system. This unit will contract private sector service providers for bus operations, fare collection, fund management, station maintenance, and other operational functions. The system will have an opening capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour per direction, and can be expanded to meet growing passenger demand. Project Benefits Environmental Benefits: Lower emissions of smog causing pollutants and greenhouse gases. Social Benefits: Faster journeys and more reliable service, safer traffic movement, high quality public transportation Financial Benefits: generation of jobs, public transportation system functioning without operational subsidy Contact Information Salma Mousallem, UN Habitat Salma.mousallem@unhabitat.org Salma.mousallem@unhabitat.org

2.  State of transportation in Cairo  Greater Cairo, home to 18 million, suffers from severe traffic congestion problems with large and adverse effects on both the quality of life and the economy. The average speeds on major corridors are at least half (15- 40km/h) the normally expected speeds (60-80 km/h), and speeds on some local roads in central Cairo are even worse, sometimes making it faster to make short trips on foot. Recent studies estimated the yearly economic cost of traffic congestion at 4% of Egypt’s GDP which is equivalent to an annual loss of EGP 50 billion (US$ 8 billion). 1  Bus Rapid Transit in Greater Cairo Region  BRT is a customer-oriented rapid transit system that combines dedicated bus lanes with metro-style stepless boarding and smart card ticketing. BRT is flexible and affordable, and can be built in a span of 2 to 3 years. BRT is key to the transformation of Cairo’s informal paratransit sector into an organised public transport. The BRT system will be implemented in a phased manner, beginning in Giza, Nasr City, and New Cairo  BRT capital costs are 4–20 times lower than light rail systems, and 10–100 times lower than metro systems, with similar capacity and service level. 2 1 “Traffic Congestion in Cairo. An overview of the causes as well as possible solutions”. The World Bank (2012) 2 “Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility. Global Report on Human Settlement 2013.” UN Habitat (2013)  Main objectives of the project:  To create a cost effective high quality public transportation option that can be scaled up in Greater Cairo region, to reduce traffic congestion and cost of traffic congestion, and to reduce pollution, and improve quality of life.