(Bloomberg) -- Egypt's supreme administrative court ruled that Uber Technologies Inc. and ride-sharing rival Careem Networks FZ can continue operating in the most populous Arab nation, canceling a lower court ruling to halt their activities.
The court's decision was reported by the state Middle East News Agency on Saturday. A ban on the companies' operations had been temporarily suspended last year pending the higher court ruling.
The original case was filed by local taxi drivers who accused San Francisco-based Uber and United Arab Emirates-based Careem of violating Egyptian traffic laws by using private vehicles for commercial purposes. It follows legal challenges Uber has faced in countries around the world.
Uber's license was revoked last year in London, though a judge later granted a probationary reprieve. The European Union's top court ruled in December that the business must be regulated as a transportation service.
The two ride-hailing companies have been expanding their services in Egypt, a nation of more than 96 million where public transport can barely keep pace with demand and streets are choked with traffic.
To contact the reporter on this story: Vivian Nereim in Riyadh at vnereim@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Bruce Stanley, John J. Edwards III
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