Transportation within Cairo - Bus

The red-and-white and blue-and-white public buses in Cairo run often and everywhere, and they’re the cheapest available means of transportation. But you get what you pay for-buses have a high breakdown potential and are shabby, stilling, and uncomfortable. Numbers and destinations are usually written in Arabic, so you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the characters (see appendix). Most buses run 5:3Oam-l 2:30am, and during Ramadan from about 6:30am-2am with a break from about 6:3O7:3Opm. Two of Cairo’s central bus depots are located in Tahrir Square.

The station directly in front of the Mugama serves Giza, points south, and southern portions of Islamic Cairo; the one in front of the Nile Hilton serves points north and the rest of Islamic Cairo. Several buses depart from a stop in front of the old Arab League Building, to the west of Mugama along Tahrir St., adjacent to the bridge over the Nile. Once you reach the right station, ask someone to point out the correct bus. Rides cost lOpt, 15pt, or 25pt without rhyme or reason: Egyptians apparently disdain outmoded conventions like correlating the price to the distance traveled.