Back door ticket machines installed on select Gush Dan bus lines

The first eight bus lines in Gush Dan to benefit from the service will be Egged’s 71, 76, 171 and 271 lines, as well as Dan’s 18, 51, 82 and 125 lines.

By SHARON UDASIN
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (photo credit: FACEBOOK)
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz
(photo credit: FACEBOOK)
Public transportation users in the Gush Dan region will now be able to board select buses from their rear doors, using their Rav-Kav multifare cards, the Transportation Ministry announced on Monday.
Eight major lines of the Egged and Dan bus companies will now offer this service in Tel Aviv and the surrounding Gush Dan region, in the first phase of a larger program that will expand to other routes around the country, the ministry said. By enabling passengers to board from both the front and rear doors, Transportation Minister Israel Katz said he hopes to shorten travel time and improve service.
“The installation of reardoor validation machines on buses will become a standard service in most public transportation lines in Israel,” Katz added.
Monday’s launch in the Gush Dan area follows successful programs in which passengers have been able to use their Rav-Kav cards from multiple doors on the Jerusalem Light Rail, the Haifa Metronit and two lines of the Metropolitan bus company in the Sharon region, the ministry said.
The first eight bus lines in Gush Dan to benefit from the service will be Egged’s 71, 76, 171 and 271 lines, as well as Dan’s 18, 51, 82 and 125 lines.
In December, the service will extend to several bus lines in Jerusalem: 19, 20, 24, 27, 71, 72, 74 and 75, and afterwards in Haifa: 17, 19, 28, 101, 111, 112 and 123.
Dan CEO Ofer Zilbiger expressed his hope that installation of the more advanced ticket-taking systems will help the companies to expand the use of public transportation and lessen reliance on private cars.
Egged’s chairman, Avi Friedman, described the plans as “a dramatic change that will significantly shorten stop times at crowded stations, help meet schedules and significantly ease [travel] for drivers and passengers alike.
“We intend to expand the service to other cities later, so that all users of public transportation in Israel will enjoy the service more,” Friedman said.