The sustainable mass transportation company Mwasalat Misr will increase its fleet to 70 buses by the end of the month, and add more 18 buses in May, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Mohamed Bayoumy, environment team leader and assistant resident representative of the UNDP in Egypt, told Daily News Egypt that the project aims to encourage citizens to use mass transportation and leave their cars to help resolve the traffic problem in the capital and reduce air pollution. This would be a practical implementation of Egypt’s international environmental obligations to maintain the quality of air and protect citizens’ health.
The total grants and funds allocated from the UNDP to Egypt to implement small photovoltaic plants and projects to reduce emissions and achieve sustainability amount to $20m.
“Some projects have already been completed and others are still under implementation, including the construction of solar stations in Zuwail City of Science and Technology,” he said.
Bayoumi stated that the UNDP in Cairo provided funds for the past period to about 35 projects implemented by several government agencies, including the air bike project that was launched in Fayoum governorate. It aims to reduce pollution rates and confer with sustainable development programmes.
The project targets university students to encourage them to use non-polluting means of transportation. The project includes the establishment of separate bike lanes, and raising the efficiency of roads.
The UNDP has been supporting Egypt for more than 50 years, contributing to poverty reduction and promoting sustainable human development policies, as well as helping build strategic national institutions to improve the lives of Egyptians.
