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Sohad Elkhodary
14 May 2026
Ayat Mohamed used a ride-hailing service in Cairo. But, after the trip ended, the 30-year-old woman was shocked to receive inappropriate messages, including a photograph that the driver had taken of her in the car without her knowledge.
Ayat had booked the ride through the “inDrive” application to travel from the “6th of October”, a city in the Giza Governorate, to the Cairo University area.
“After getting home, I was surprised to receive harassing messages on WhatsApp from an unknown number,” she says. She checked the number and found that it belonged to the driver of the vehicle she had booked earlier that day.
The application did not mention any cameras inside the vehicles operating under its umbrella, she says. “I don’t know how the driver photographed me. I didn’t see a camera, and a smart transportation company has no right to install cameras without disclosing it.”
Kholoud Khaled also experienced harassment and verbal abuse by a driver working for a ride-hailing apps, after booking a car to take her from the “6th of October” city to Ismailia City.
The young woman shared her experience on Facebook, explaining that after booking a ride on ‘inDrive’, she was surprised when the driver sent her inappropriate and offensive messages via the app’s chat function.
These incidents are not isolated. This investigation documented seven cases between 2020 and 2025, in which female victims were subjected to sexual harassment, stalking, and digital tracking by drivers of ride-hailing apps, via WhatsApp messages and messages sent within the apps. Among the victims was a woman whose phone number was shared by a driver on inappropriate websites. She filed a police report against the driver according to a post on her Facebook account. The victim declined to discuss the details of the incident.
Nermine Mahmoud, 29, never would have imagined that her journey via the “DiDi” application would end with her being robbed by the driver.
“I got into the car at the Al-Sikka Club, heading to the Ahramat (Pyramids area) in Giza. The driver claimed the GPS was not working (on his phone), so I gave him my phone to use for navigation. When I later asked him to return it, he said, ‘Your phone is gone, and then took my money after locking the car and refusing to let me out,” she explained to ARIJ.
Nermine was surprised when the company initially refused to take responsibility and failed to return her stolen belongings, telling her it wasn’t their “problem”. She then filed a police report against the driver, accusing him of theft and locking her inside the car.
Eventually the company did respond, according to Nermine, saying “we’re sorry, ma’am, and we’ve let him go”. The police ended their investigation into the theft of her mobile phone,valued at 28,000 Egyptian pounds, along with cash and personal belongings. She estimates that the total value of the stolen items amounts to around 36,000 Egyptian pounds, about 700 USD.
Nermine is calling on ride-hailing apps to screen drivers before hiring them, and to ensure an emergency feature is available.
Sayed Ahmed is a driver for “inDrive” and other apps and says that companies are collecting female passengers’ data. He also said customers of apps such as “inDrive” can choose whether to display or hide their phone number.
Sayed, who has worked for other apps such as “DiDi”, “Bolt” and “Careem”, confirmed that some drivers have used female users’ numbers in an unprofessional manner, on apps that disclose the information. However, he also said that companies can be biased and favour customers at the expense of drivers, who may be suspended without a proper investigation.
Some drivers also sell their accounts to others, Sayed said. He explained that drivers who have been ‘blocked’ by companies after being involved in incidents of assault or harassment may obtain other accounts to work through. The passenger then finds a different driver from the one whose details are listed on the account.
We found advertisements posted by drivers offering to sell their accounts, and others who were looking to buy them. Some advertisements offered job opportunities for drivers without requiring a criminal record check for those who had been ‘blocked’. They only required an ID card and a drivers licence.
According to Sayed, fraudsters posing as ride-hailing company representatives call people and claim that they can set up driver accounts on certain apps. The person wanting to obtain an account is asked to send their “criminal record”, a copy of their ID card, driver’s license, and their phone number. An account is then created.
Sayed explains that the driver is then asked for a one-time password (OTP) sent by the ride-hailing app. The fraudster either steals it immediately, or allows the driver to use it for two or three journeys before taking over the account, changing the phone number, and selling it.
Law on “Regulating Road Transport Services Using Information Technology, No. 87 of 2018, (known as the ’Uber and Careem Law”) requires companies to obtain a legal permit from the relevant authorities in order to operate. The law obliges operators to ensure that their drivers are of good moral character and professional standing. Operators must also conduct random monthly tests at their own expense and terminate the contract immediately upon confirmation of alcohol or drug use. The law also states that the driver’s information displayed to the user when booking the service must match the driver who is delivering the service.
Sayed explains that ride-hailing companies request that drivers submit a criminal record check within a given period of time, not necessarily at the start of employment. Some companies may request this after a year or two, or after a certain number of rides, according to Sayed. He also noted that some companies hire drivers who haven’t completed drug tests.
Some drivers of ride-hailing apps in Egypt have been found to be using Facebook to discuss methods of tampering with drug test samples, including “swapping the sample or diluting it with water.” Others also try to evade testing altogether, to avoid detection of drug use.
Dr Karim Karam, treasurer of the Egyptian Centre for the Right to Medicine, told ARIJ that some people resort to tampering with test samples by swapping them or using medicines and other substances to produce negative results. However, he said that diluting a sample with water can be medically detected.
Asma Fathy, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Muanath Salem Foundation for Women’s Empowerment, says they have received several complaints against ride-hailing apps. The number of cases reported through the “inDrive” and “DiDi” apps over the course of one year ranges from 25 to 36, around 80 percent of which were linked to the former app. The foundation holds monthly group counselling sessions for victims.
Asma says that one of the most serious violations reported to the organization involves blackmailing victims by threatening to publish their personal photos. The blackmailer obtains the victim’s photo from WhatsApp or the ride-hailing company’s app. He subsequently contacted her, claiming that he had found her photos online, escalating to threats of releasing more.
In its report, “The Reality of Cyberbullying and Blackmail Crimes in Egypt,” published in March 2024, the Speak Up initiative revealed the findings of a study on blackmail and cybercrime. According to the findings, the vast majority of victims (90 percent) were female, although the proportion of females in the sample of 3,176 participants was not specified. The findings also showed that around half of the victims had been subjected to requests for “sexual favours.”.Only 10 percent of them filed formal complaints.
Articles 2 and 3 of Law No. 151 of 2020 on Personal Data Protection states that personal data may not be collected, processed, disclosed, or leaked without the explicit consent of the individual concerned, or unless permitted by law. In all cases, it must be collected for legitimate and specific purposes, which must be disclosed to the individual. Article 7 obliges the data controller and processor to notify the Personal Data Protection Centre (PDPC) of any breach or violation of personal data within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, whilst also immediately notifying the national security authorities.
Heba Adel, Chairperson of the Egyptian Women Lawyers Foundation for Women’s Rights, emphasises the importance of protecting users’ data, and preventing drivers from obtaining copies of it or operators from using it for purposes outside the app.
“We do not know the nature of the contractual relationship between service providers and operators, nor the terms and conditions that drivers sign before working with them,” she says. Heba also questions the operator’s role in inspecting vehicles and verifying the drivers’ “criminal records” as well as their periodic security clearance.
Heba points out that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) does not have the legal authority to monitor communications and messages within apps. Instead, operators are responsible for ensuring passenger safety. They must deal with user complaints promptly and report any harm or errors committed by drivers to the relevant authorities, after consulting the user.
However, according to Heba, the relevant ministry has the right to intervene if a company is proven to be failing to act on an increasing number of complaints, which could lead to the app being banned in Egypt or access to it being blocked., Despite this, she believes that imposing sanctions on international companies that do not have offices in Egypt would be extremely difficult.
The investigation team reached out to “DiDi” and “inDrive” to ask how they handle complaints of online harassment against female users. enquire about their mechanisms for handling such complaints of online harassment against female users, but we had not received a response by the time of publication.
Islam al-Jazzar, media spokesperson for the Consumer Protection Agency, told ARIJ that the Department of Information Technology and Documentation (Cybercrime Unit/Internet Police) is responsible for regulating ride-hailing apps. Harassment of female passengers falls outside the Agency’s scope, and reports submitted are referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for investigation.
We contacted the Ministry of Transport via the State Information Service to enquire what action it takes against companies whose drivers are accused of harassment, but we have not received a response by the time of publication.
In May 2024, Sayed Metwally, the former head of the Smart Transportation Authority, revealed during a meeting of the Communications Committee that ride-hailing apps in Egypt are not licensed. He pointed out the existence of what is known as an ‘activity permit ’. According to Metwally, a committee within the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) is tasked with ensuring companies are in compliance. The former official explained that drug testing is carried out with the knowledge of traffic authorities and government bodies, to maintain service quality. However, Uber conducts testing in private laboratories, he said, emphasizing that the Smart Transportation Authority has not received any samples relating to drug testing.
An official source at NTRA, which is responsible for regulatory affairs and market governance, told ARIJ that ride-hailing apps are subject to Law No. 87 of 2018 on Regulating Road Transport Services Using Information Technology, as well as the Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020, which establishes rules and regulations around the handling of citizens’ personal data.
The source added that applications are currently being received from smart transport companies seeking licences, and noted that a data protection center has been established to enforce the law The source revealed that the apps “Uber”, “Careem”, “inDrive”, “DiDi” and “Bolt”, which operate in Egypt, have not yet obtained the required licences in accordance with the law.
According to the same source, the Land Transport Regulatory Authority is establishing a set of conditions that ride-hailing operators must meet in order to obtain licences. These conditions include compliance with public moral standards, protection of personal data, and the rides records. Operators are also required to obtain the necessary licence to process data. Additionally, drivers are strictly prohibited from accessing passenger data, a measure aimed at preventing any potential misuse of personal information, particularly phone numbers.
The source also confirmed that apps that disclose passenger data to drivers will not be granted an operating licence unless they comply with the Personal Data Protection Act. Furthermore, anyone who leaks such data will be held legally accountable, in accordance with the Cybercrime Law No. 175 of 2018 and the law on Regulating Road Transport Services Using Information Technology. Penalties range from imprisonment to fines, depending on the type of crime or offence. The source added that using a phone number for harassment and infringement of privacy is a crime.
This report was produced with the support of ARIJ.
