The Egyptian-owned Taxi Plus company has said that it will hold a press conference on Sunday to officially announce the launch of its cab-hailing service to Egyptians, Ahram Arabic website reported on Thursday.

Unlike foreign-owned competitors Uber and Careem, which rely on drivers who own privately-licensed cars, Taxi Plus will serve as a ride-hailing service for Egypt’s traditional white taxis.

Taxi Plus will operate through an online app as well as a phone hotline.

Taxi Plus says it will offer a competitive public transportation service for Egyptians using traditional taxis.

Taxi drivers who will join the service will be subjected to physical and mental examinations as well as security checks and training, the company said.

The Egyptian-owned project comes after two years of domination of the local market by foreign-owned cab hailing services Uber and Careem.

Drivers of Egypt's traditional taxis held several protests in recent months demanding the government ban services like Uber, arguing that private ride-hailing services are negatively affecting their livelihood and do not comply with Egyptian public transportation laws.