Just what we had been waiting for, a handy transportation service with women drivers, for women. We had a chat with Co-Founder Abdallah Hussein to get the lowdown.
When was Fyonka launched and how many drivers did you start with?
AH: We officially launched our service during February 2019. At the time, we started with a fleet of 24 partners. In five months, we were able to grow our fleet by quadruple that.
What prompted you to start Fyonka?
All three of us partners are childhood friends. We travelled to London for our university degrees and something that instantly struck us was the prominent role females play in British society. Females can work any job or be whatever they want to be. There were no restrictions. After finishing our studies, we all came back to Egypt. Ride hailing platforms were just starting in the country and were on the rise, however, something that really stuck with us was the lack of females in the industry.
As we dug deeper we found that the barriers of entry for females in this industry are very high, i.e. the safety aspect of the job or the cultural and social view that would come with the job. On the other hand, as these ride hailing giants grew, the quality of their service deteriorated. Female customers were craving a safe and reliable service that would offer them peace of mind. And so, Fyonka was born!
How has the response been?
It’s been great! We’re actually overwhelmed by the support we’ve received. However, this is only the start for us. At Fyonka, we aim to build something so much more than a transportation service. We aim to initiate a women’s empowerment movement that would enable women to become architects of their future. No female should have any barriers to work any job and should not be held back from her aspirations to better her life and become independent. This is the real mission behind Fyonka and the community we’re trying to build around our service.
How can women book a ride?
Fyonka offers an on-demand all-female ride hailing service through our platform, which is available on both Play Store and the App Store. Ladies can book their ride through our app and a car will be there in an average of 15-20 minutes. It’s a fairly simple process, a car is three clicks away!
What areas do you cover, i.e. only greater Cairo or also trips outside?
We currently operate in ten areas across Cairo and Giza. We’re working our best to expand into new areas and new cities in the future. So stay tuned!
6th of October & Sheikh Zayed
Mohandessin
Dokki
Zamalek
Downtown
Maadi
Masr El Gedida (Heliopolis)
Madenet Nasr
5th Settlement (Kattameya)
