Are Cairo’s menacing minibuses on their way out?

WEAVING IN AND out of traffic, the minibuses on Cairo’s ring road seem to be racing. In a sense, they are. The white minivans compete to pick up passengers and faster trips mean more fares. Since a ride costs as little as five Egyptian pounds ($0.32), quantity is key. So drivers speed along the motorway, exploiting every little gap in the traffic. Some are intoxicated by tramadol, an opioid that has a reputation for improving alertness (and male sexual stamina), two claims your correspondent preferred not to test.