(Photo by Ahmed Al-Malky)
Dozens of taxi drivers staged a protest on Monday blocking the 6th of October Bridge in Cairo against a new tax and the lack of security in the country. According to one driver participating in the protest, the new tax totals EGP 400 per year, which is in addition to renewal fees and insurance.
Insurance costs EGP 1,500 and must be renewed yearly.
Taxi drivers also called on the government to do something about the low level of security at night on the roads, adding that many of them finish work earlier because the highways become dangerous at night.
The Ring Road at night is particularly susceptible to thieves, and many taxi drivers say it is best to avoid the highway after midnight. Carjacking has also become a more common phenomenon since the revolution, according to the protesting taxi drivers.
The unstable economy, lack of tourists, political instability and diminished levels of security have left many drivers clamouring for government action. Some protesting drivers expressed disdain for the current government, blaming President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood for propagating Egypt’s problems.
