New Egged Bus Routes in Yerushalayim Do Not Benefit Chareidi Passengers

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egged-busExtensive changes have been introduced to Yerushalayim bus lines, particularly on routes serving the chareidi public. Various lines have been completely cancelled or curtailed and rerouted, new and express lines have been added and existing lines have been replaced.

The changes apply most to lines that pass through Har Nof, Gival Shaul, Ramat Shlomo and Ramot. This is to be the first phase of a comprehensive set of changes in preparation for the launch of the light-rail system in two years.

The main idea is to create express lines that travel along main routes as well as neighborhood “feeder lines” to bring passengers to express lines. Planners refer to the concept as the “transfer system,” since it requires passengers to take a combination of two or three bus and train rides in order to reach their destination, instead of one. Nonetheless, experts claim that the average duration of a ride goes down under this system.

With a very low rate of car ownership, the chareidi sector is the leading user of public transportation (besides the elderly, teens, Arabs, new immigrants and National Insurance dependents) and stands to lose the most as a result of the new plan. Yet the planners who drew up the transportation master plan did not adequately consult with neighborhood representatives for the chareidi public or with the Rabbinical Committee for Transportation Affairs, though Egged’s official announcements refer to “full collaboration with community administrators and representatives of the chareidi public.”

{Deiah veDibur/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}


4 COMMENTS

  1. The benefit is that you do not have to sit on a bus forever to get from HarNof to the city while it does a tour of all the frum neighborhoods.

    Changes will be made as the new lines start.

  2. There are countless benefits and opinions were taken into account, as was strongly pointed out by city council members Rosenstein (who is a charedi and holds the transportation portfolio in Yerushalayim) and Pindrus. The article gives a very strong one sided view of the matter. Although you did correctly point out that travel times would drop under the plan. This is not to say that egged has any track record of “adequately” consulting anyone, not its own experts nor the community members when it makes decisions…

  3. If chareidim give tzores to the bus companies (i.e. seperate sitting problems, stoning of buses during demonstrations, etc.) do you really expect them to to respect the chareidim or care about what they like?

  4. No one said there are no benefits, but there are plenty of drawbacks: no easy access to Machaneh Yehuda (Who will shlepp heavy bags all the way to Strauss or Binyanei Ha’uma?), nor to the main branch of Kupat Cholim Meuchedet (to which most chareidim in Yerushalayim belong), or any other place on that stretch of Rechov Yaffo.

    As far as tzorres from chareidim, they are Egged’s major clients. Why is separate seating a problem? It is only a problem if you make it so. In lines that travel through chareidi areas, which are the ones that are requested to be mehadrin separate seating, the clientele are pleased with that arrangement. Stoning busses is not a regular event and Egged knows that very well (not that anyone condones it, or any other violence). If you have ever ridden on Egged buses in areas where chiloni youth get on, just compare their behavior to that of chareidi youth. The instances of kiddush Hashem are far more frequent than those of chillul Hashem. It is your choice to look at the chareidi community with an ayin tova or its opposite. There undeniably are problems, but there is plenty that is high-quality, admirable and worthy of emulation in the chareidi community if you care to see it.

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