Of all the economic reform measures taken by the Egyptian government, the latest increase in fuel prices has hit us hardest. Just as we thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse, news came that Careem raised its fare followed by Uber doing the exact same thing.

Careem released its new price fare on Monday July 17th stating: “that a value ride in Cairo has a starting fare of EGP 5.5, with 2.21 per km and a waiting charge of EGP 46 per hour. Same goes for Alexandria having a set starting fare of EGP 6.5, with EGP 2.20 per km and a waiting charge of EGP 36 per hour.”

To our surprise, Uber followed the same procedure only a day after, stating: “that UberX rides’ base fare has increased from EGP 5 to EGP 6, and the EGP 1.5 per kilometer has increased to EGP 1.85 while UberSELECT rides have a fare base starting from EGP 7 and the price per kilometer is EGP 2.

While this is a good thing for Uber drivers and Careem captains who are going to increase their income, it’s more expenses for us daily commuters. At the end of the day, we can’t break away from them because we just love them too much. But just thinking about it, could this be our perfect excuse to stay home and binge on series all day?