El-Wazir said this during a phone interview with Sada El-Balad TV channel on Saturday evening.
Egypt is accelerating the rollout of its BRT system — a fast electric bus network designed to ease congestion and gradually phase out microbuses along the Ring Road.
The electric bus project was first introduced in mid-2022 as part of a broader plan to modernize public transport in Greater Cairo.
During the interview, El-Wazir revealed that local manufacturers will produce 480 electric minibuses, as part of a broader vehicle replacement plan.
These minibuses will be driven by existing microbus drivers, especially those owning outdated vehicles.
On the same day, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and El-Wazir inspected the BRT's pilot operation of Phase 1.
During their inspection tour, Madbouly said the project is designed to connect population centres along the Ring Road to the rest of Cairo, with stations offering dedicated microbus and taxi access.
Meanwhile, El-Wazir said once the electric BRT and Cairo Metro Line 5 are operational, Egypt will have a fully electric, green, and sustainable public transit network connecting all areas of Cairo and linking them to routes from every governorate.
In April, the Ministry of Industry and Transport began training BRT drivers as part of a trial run for the BRT system, preparing to open its service to the public.
Drivers tested station stops and scheduled headways to prepare for the project's first phase.
The BRT project is being developed in three phases and spans 105 kilometres.
It features 48 stations integrating with the Cairo Metro and Light Rail Transit (LRT) networks.
The system will deploy 100 electric buses, each with a capacity of 66 passengers, and operate at peak intervals as short as 1.5 minutes.
Phase 1 covers the stretch from the Cairo-Alexandria Agricultural Road to the Police Academy and includes 14 stations.
Phase 2 will extend to the Grand Egyptian Museum, passing through the southern arc of the Ring Road via New Cairo, Maadi, Giza, Mariouteya, Mansouriya, and reaching Fayoum Road.
In March, El-Wazir said the first and second phases would be operational before the Grand Egyptian Museum opens on 3 July.
Madbouly added that the completion of Phase 2 will bring over 75 percent of the BRT route into service.
Phase 3 will close the loop by connecting the museum to the Alexandria Desert Road, with completion targeted as soon as possible.
Madbouly stressed that the project, initially conceived over 25 years ago, relies on clean, eco-friendly, air-conditioned electric buses that provide fast, affordable, and high-quality service.
“It is a high-efficiency mass transit solution used in many countries,” he said. “Much of Latin America already relies on this model.”
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