Cancellation & Refund Policy

This Cancellation & Refund Policy explains how bookings work on SHAFFL: that tickets are non-refundable once confirmed, what we will do to help if your plans change, what happens if you do not show up, and how you are protected if SHAFFL or the operator cancels your trip.

Our goal is to be transparent and fair, consistent with common practice in Egypt's seat-reservation transport market, while fully respecting Egyptian consumer protection rules.

This Policy should be read together with the SHAFFL Terms & Conditions and the SHAFFL Privacy Policy.

This Policy applies to all bus and intercity bookings made through SHAFFL, including:

1. City Routes (daily commute / shuttle / staff transport): repeating routes inside or between neighbourhoods in Egyptian cities.

2. Intercity / Long Routes: longer trips between governorates (e.g. Cairo ↔ Alexandria / Hurghada / Sharm El Sheikh).

3. Corporate / Institutional Routes: routes paid for by a company, school, university, or similar.

If you ride through a corporate agreement, that agreement may set its own cancellation and payment terms in place of the ones below.

All tickets are non-refundable. Once your booking is confirmed, the fare cannot be refunded — your seat is reserved with the operator the moment you pay.

But you're not on your own. If your plans change, contact us as early as you can. We will personally reach out to the operator on your behalf and do everything we can to find the best possible solution for you.

While we cannot guarantee an outcome, we treat every case individually and always try our hardest. The more notice you give us, the more options we usually have.

This applies to cancellations you request. It does not affect your protection if SHAFFL or the operator cancels the trip — see Section 6.

Where the operator allows it, we will help you move your booking to another date or time instead of cancelling.

• A fare difference may apply if the new trip costs more.

• The operator may charge a change fee, which we will tell you about before confirming.

• Changes are always subject to seat availability on the new trip.

To request a change, contact us as early as possible with your booking code and the new date or time you'd like.

If you do not appear at the pickup point within the boarding window and have not contacted us in advance:

• The booking is marked as a "No-Show".

• A No-Show is treated as a used seat and no assistance can be offered.

• Repeated No-Shows may affect eligibility for high-demand routes or company-sponsored seats.

Why this matters: when you book a seat, real physical capacity is reserved for you on a real vehicle. Letting us know in advance is what gives us the chance to help.

Sometimes SHAFFL or the operating partner must cancel, reroute, or significantly delay a trip — for reasons such as a mechanical issue, a safety concern, or a road closure.

If your trip is cancelled by SHAFFL or the operator, you are fully protected:

• You will be offered a free rebooking on the next available service of a similar standard at no extra fare, OR

• A full refund of the amount you paid.

If a vehicle departs but cannot continue due to a major breakdown, SHAFFL will arrange onward transport or issue an appropriate full or partial refund. If a route is cancelled permanently, unused future bookings on that route are fully refunded.

SHAFFL aims to provide realistic pickup windows and arrival estimates, but Egyptian roads are affected by congestion, weather, checkpoints, and closures.

• A delay on its own is not grounds for a refund.

• However, if the vehicle never arrived within a commercially reasonable window and you were never transported, that is treated as a cancellation by SHAFFL and you are protected under Section 6.

Missing a personal event because of traffic is not compensated unless you have a written corporate agreement with SHAFFL.

When a refund is due under this Policy (for example, a SHAFFL or operator cancellation), it is normally issued as wallet credit inside SHAFFL, or by reversing the original payment.

Banking channels in Egypt may take several days to display a reversal. SHAFFL registers the approved refund or credit once your claim is validated.

We may request trip details (booking code, route, pickup point) and verify with the operator before issuing a refund.

Any processing or convenience fees marked "non-refundable" at the time of purchase remain non-refundable.

If your rides are paid or subsidised by an Institution:

• The Institution may set its own attendance, check-in, or cancellation rules.

• SHAFFL may share attendance and usage confirmations with that Institution for billing, safety, and planning.

• The Institution may choose to absorb the cost of late cancellations or No-Shows, or charge you internally.

Where SHAFFL owes a credit for a service failure, the Institution may decide how that credit is applied.

Egyptian Consumer Protection Law No. 181 of 2018 gives you core protections that this Policy does not remove:

• You have the right to accurate, non-misleading information about the service and its price.

• If a paid service is not provided, the provider must re-provide the service or reimburse its cost.

• Key conditions, including these cancellation and refund terms, must be displayed clearly.

If you believe a service was not provided, you were charged incorrectly, or were refused a refund you were rightfully owed, you may escalate to the Egyptian Consumer Protection Agency.

You also have privacy rights under Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020.

If your plans change, or you believe a refund is due under this Policy:

• Email: support@shaffl.com

• Include: your full name, registered phone number, booking code, route, pickup point, and what happened.

The earlier you contact us, the more we can usually do with the operator.

For privacy-related requests (data access, correction, or deletion): support@shaffl.com

Address for formal correspondence: Cairo, Egypt

We may update this Cancellation & Refund Policy to reflect changes in Egyptian law, regulatory guidance, or operational changes.

If we make major changes, we will announce them through the app, SMS, email, or another reasonable channel before they take effect.

By continuing to use SHAFFL after an updated version is posted, you accept the updated Policy.