Somewhere in Giza, a car is leaving its parking spot; a spot that isn’t always easy to find in the crowded streets of Egypt. As according to The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, there are more than 10 million registered vehicles in Egypt, half of them being in Cairo and Giza alone. Yasser, a 50-year-old runner, is standing next to that car, guiding it out and waving to the owner who may or may not pay him in return for his service. According to all laws and regulations, the car owner isn’t obligated to pay Yasser. However, some drivers do pay him. He guides every single car, and has been for the past 11 years, in search of those who decide to pay.

Yasser, and his family of 6, all live off that simple decision. 

His boys: Bassem, Bassam and Hammo have worked with him ever since they were kids. I want to say he taught them the job but there isn’t much to teach, they guide people into the available parking spots, claim to protect their cars until they return. However, the cars are safe from harm because they are present in a territory established by the runners, not because they are physically watching over their cars. 

“The Runners of Cairo" are a group of people on the streets who claim their territory and run it with their independent laws. They roam the crowded streets of Cairo at all times, to help you find a parking spot that you may or may not find without their help.

They don’t have a permit or a license, they do a job that no one asked them for, the necessity of the service they provide is questionable. Receiving their services is unavoidable but paying them for it is your choice.

However, whether you pay them or not, they pay other people.

The streets are divided into sections, there’s a runner in each section. And in every street there’s one guy in charge of all the runners. The guy in charge is responsible for handling the politics. He collects the money from the runners at the end of the day, and he ensures the safety of himself and the boys working under him by establishing a coordination with people of high authority or power in the neighborhood they work in. These people, who may be police officers or known thugs of the city, receive a standardized portion of the runner’s income daily and in return, they let the runners roam their streets and do their job without a permit.  

Car owners believe they don’t owe money to runners. Even those who decide to pay them, are prompted by a mix of emotions that range from guilt and sympathy towards the underprivileged runners, to fear of a violent reaction from them.

The runners have gained a bad reputation based on the violent acts of some of them, but most of them are innocent underprivileged people who just want to make some money. They couldn’t find a better way to provide for their families other than to live off other innocent but more privileged people, who just want to park their cars.