# 3alaGamb — Frequently Asked Questions

## General

### What is 3alaGamb?
3alaGamb is a free public-transport routing application for Greater Cairo, Egypt. It plans journeys across microbus, minibus, bus, metro, train and monorail, and shows the estimated travel time and approximate fare in Egyptian pounds before the journey starts.

### What does the name mean?
"3ala gamb" (على جنب) is the Egyptian Arabic phrase a passenger calls out to ask a shared-taxi or microbus driver to pull over at the side of the road so they can get off.

### Who is 3alaGamb for?
People travelling around Cairo by public and shared transport — daily commuters, students, visitors unfamiliar with the network, and anyone who needs to know the cost of a journey before committing to it.

### Which cities are covered?
Greater Cairo, covering the Cairo and Giza governorates. The application does not currently route journeys in other Egyptian cities.

### Is there a website version?
No. Routing is available through the Android and iOS applications. The website provides information about the application only.

## Cost

### Is 3alaGamb free?
Yes, entirely. There is no paid tier, no subscription, no trial, and no in-app purchase.

### Are there adverts?
No. The application is not advertising-supported.

### Do I have to pay to save favourite locations?
No. Favourite locations require a free account, not a payment.

## Transport modes and coverage

### Which types of transport does it cover?
Microbus, minibus, bus, metro, train and monorail. Walking legs are generated automatically between transit legs.

### Does it include microbus routes?
Yes. Informal microbus and minibus routes are a core part of the dataset. This is the segment of Cairo's network that is largely unpublished and absent from conventional mapping services, and it is the main reason 3alaGamb exists.

### Can I exclude a mode I do not want to use?
Yes. Metro, Bus, Minibus and Microbus can each be switched off independently, and results are recalculated using only the modes left enabled.

### What if a real existing route is missing in the app?
Use the "Add a missing transit" control on the results screen to submit it. Coverage of the informal network expands through these submissions.

## Journeys and fares

### How accurate are the travel times?
Times are averages. Road-based legs — microbus, minibus and bus — depend on traffic conditions, and the application states this explicitly on those legs. Metro, train and monorail legs are more predictable because they run on fixed track.

### How accurate are the fares?
Fares are approximate. Microbus and minibus fares are set by individual operators and change without notice. Metro and rail fares follow published tariffs. Use the figures for budgeting rather than as exact prices.

### Does 3alaGamb sell tickets?
No. It does not sell tickets, process payments, or take any share of a fare. The fares shown are what you pay the operator directly.

### Can I see the individual cost of each leg?
Yes. Step-by-step directions show the fare for each transit leg separately, so the total can be checked against its parts.

### Can I plan a journey for later?
Yes. Journeys default to departing now, and an alternative departure time can be selected.

## Accounts

### How do I sign in?
By email and password, with Google Sign-In, or with Apple Sign-In. When a third-party provider is used, 3alaGamb receives only your email address and full name.

### What does an account add?
Up to three saved favourite locations and an optional profile picture. Nothing else.

### How do I delete my account?
Either in-app through Profile → Delete Account, or by written request to info@3alagamb.com. Deletion is immediate and permanent, and removes your name, email address, hashed password, profile photo and saved favourites. You can carry on using the application as a guest.

## Privacy and location

### Does 3alaGamb track my location in the background?
No. GPS is accessed only while the application is open in the foreground. Location is never collected in the background or while the application is closed.

### What is my location used for?
To show your position on the map, to pre-fill the origin of a new journey, and — as origin and destination coordinates — to compute routes on the server.

### Can I use the application without granting location permission?
Yes. Routing continues to work; you enter the starting point manually instead of having it detected.

### What is stored only on my device?
Recent searches, application preferences such as language, and cached map tiles. None of these are transmitted to 3alaGamb servers, and all are removed when the application is uninstalled.

### How is my data protected?
Communications use HTTPS/TLS, databases and file storage are encrypted at rest, passwords are stored using industry-standard hashing and never in plain text, and production access is restricted on a need-to-know basis with strong authentication.

### Is there a minimum age?
The application is not intended for, and is not directed at, children under thirteen years of age.

## Technical

### Which platforms are supported?
Android and iOS.

### Where do I download 3alaGamb?
On iOS from the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/3ala-gamb-cairo-transport/id6762488889

On Android from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alagamb.app

The Android package name is `com.alagamb.app`. The app is free on both stores.

### Which languages does the interface support?
English and Arabic (Egyptian).

### Does it work offline?
No. An internet connection is required to compute routes. Map tiles already cached on the device may still display, but new journeys cannot be planned offline.

### Is there a public API?
No. There is no public API at this time.

### How do I report a problem or contact support?
Email info@3alagamb.com, or message @3alagamb on Instagram.