Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports will launch the second phase of the “Your Bike Your Health” initiative on Thursday, the ministry has announced via its website.
The move comes as part of steps taken by the Egyptian government to encourage citizens to use bicycles as part of their daily lives. Steps have also been taken to ensure that they can be purchased at reduced prices, with payment facilities in place to encourage citizens.
The initiative aims to raise the health and fitness of Egyptian citizens, whilst also starting a change in commuting habits. With more citizens, it is hoped, taking up the culture of active transportation such as bicycles, the government is also encouraging bicycles as an alternative to enclosed public transport such as buses. This comes as part of the state’s plan to coexist with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, whilst contributing to social distancing measures and putting a halt to new infections.
The initiative’s first phase, which began on 8 July, had offered 1,000 bikes, with the second stage of the initiative set to provide 1,400 bikes more.
The initiative, which the Ministry of Youth and Sports has worked hard to promote, was launched under the direction of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. It aims to encourage more citizens to take up physical activity and practice sports, such as cycling.
Al-Sisi encouraged the use of bikes during a bicycle marathon, in which hundreds of citizens and students at the Military College, the Police College, and civil universities. Officials, media personalities and artists also took part in the maraton.
Since Al-Sisi assumed the Presidency in 2014, Egyptians have grown accustomed to seeing him active, with his love of bike riding obvious. This was shown in February 2017 in the company of police academy students, and in November 2018 while on an inspection tour of Sharm El-Sheikh and on the sidelines of the World Youth Forum.
The “Your Bike Your Health” initiative has received widespread approval and acceptance across Egypt, especially young people. In the first phase, 1,000 bikes were bought in only 20 minutes after registration was put up on the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ website, with the bikes delivered to all citizens in the following two weeks.
This prompted the ministry to expedite the launch of the second phase with more bikes to accommodate more requests. It announced the launch of the initiative’s second phase after the Eid Al-Adha holiday, providing young people in particular with the opportunity to purchase a bicycle at a subsidised price. The initiative is being run in cooperation with the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI).
Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy has stressed the importance of the initiative, which aims to encourage citizens to actively take up sporting activities to improve physical health and wellbeing. He added that the initiative also looks to promote a more economical and environmentally friendly means of transportation.
Sobhy pointed to the success of the first phase, and the great demand from young people to buy the bikes provided.
Initiative’s bike specifications:
- Phoenix 2605 mountain bike, suitable for paved and unpaved roads.
Size: 26
Price: EGP 1,932
- Phoenix A55 hybrid bike, more suitable for paved roads.
Size: 28
Price: EGP 2,362
Payment system:
Cash Payment: At the distribution centre.
Bikes are offered with payment facilities for National Bank of Egypt credit card holders.
After-sales service: One-year warranty certificate against manufacturing defects, but not misuse.
Maintenance: At Kadir Factory for Advanced Industries, El Tayaran Street, Nasr City.
