Urban Transport in the OIC Megacities
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competitive tendering and the award of some minibus route licenses are indications that large scale
tendering and regulation of minibus routes might now be feasible. The figure below shows the
relatively low number of buses in Cairo compared to other cities:
Figure 26: Buses per million of population in cities across the world (World Bank)
Source: Slide 38 Prof Khaled El Araby International Symposium February 2013
4.2.4.2. Metro
The existing mass transit system serving the GCR is very modest for an urban agglomeration of its size
and population density, and expected population and economic growth:
 There are only two metro lines totalling 65km in length while similar sized mega-cities have
much longer systems relative to their population:9
 The suburban rail system and tram systems are poorly developed and contribute little to
system capacity. Nearly all of the mega-cities listed above also have extensive suburban rail
networks;
 There are no bus priority facilities in the GCR, which are typically the lowest cost form of mass
transit.
The very high patronage of the existing metro system, which currently attracts approximately 2
million passengers a day – about 20% of total passenger trips -- represents an impressive use of a
relatively short system and indicates the merits of investing more in mass transit systems.