Cairo Bus Routes Made Easy

For anyone not used to taking public transport in Cairo, it of course looks like complete chaos. Where do you stop? Are there even bus stops? Where do they go? How much do you pay? How do you act? What are those hand signals? The whole ordeal can be a little too much for those who fear tap water, so the norm is to reside to spending a fortune on taxis every month.

Finally all has been revealed with Cairo Bus Routes website, dektop and mobile application created by expat Tristan Thomas who began mapping out every route early this year, frustrated by the lack of free information made available to the public. With the free service you can browse all available bus routes, where they stop and their bus numbers; there's even images of what they look like. This is for both public buses as well as dodgy microbuses.

The website also breaks down the different types of buses available for public transportation in Egypt, how much it will cost you for each ride, what kind of amenities you'll find inside (don't be fooled by the multiple service stickers on the back, microbuses do not have toilets or wifi).

"The eventual aim is to have every public and private bus in Cairo documented and mapped. This is a huge goal and will take months, if not years, to complete," Thomas writes. "With luck, others will contribute their knowledge over time to allow the site to grow and become the preeminent source of Cairo bus information."

Cairo Bus Routes is available on iTunes and Android.

Visit the website here