CAIRO: It is estimated that traffic issues in the capital Cairo alone cost Egypt’s economy $7 billion every year. This figure comprises health costs from air pollution; lost productivity due to extra time in traffic; and costs of road injuries and fatalities. At a time when people feel the need to be extra safe due to the pandemic, Mayday, a startup by Egyptian entrepreneurs Mohamed Aboelfotouh, Islam Ahmed and Amr Essam, is a much-welcomed solution that is able to solve many car issues on the spot. “We surveyed around 300 people to understand more about the market. People really welcomed the idea of an app to help them if they encountered roadside trouble,” Aboelfotouh, 34, said.
According to the survey, the average waiting time for towing help was around two hours, and the prices were always variable and inflated. People also highlighted safety concerns and the lack of proper customer care for such services. “We wanted to create a platform in a similar model to ride-hailing apps, with a large network of providers,” Aboelfotouh added. Mayday faced several roadblocks after its soft launch in November 2018. For starters, the service was available for only eight hours a day.