Israeli public transport fares are expected to rise by 12% in January 2026, KAN News reported on Thursday.
The increase, which was postponed last year, is tied to funding needs for the Transportation Ministry’s “Transportation Justice” fare reform and annual indexation to the Consumer Price Index, according to KAN.
The Transportation Ministry and Finance Ministry agreed to delay the hike, but Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have yet to reach a final agreement on the size of the increase, Kan reported.
Regev has insisted she will block any additional burden on riders without parallel service improvements, while Smotrich’s office has not announced a final position.
“It will not happen under any circumstances, even if a budget is not passed,” Regev’s office said, according to KAN.
A year of fare changes, public pushback
Fares have already risen this year as part of Regev’s “Transportation Justice” reform, with prices increasing again in April 2025 to help fund the plan.
The 2025 state budget, passed in March, prioritized defense spending during the war, while the government signaled continued investments in public transportation.
If implemented as reported, a standard single ride would rise to NIS 9 from today’s base fare. The fare plan would follow multiple mid-2024 and early-2025 price moves that drew criticism from passengers and opposition lawmakers. In April, the ministry said the hike would help finance the second stage of the reform