Increased ridership may be allowed soon on public transportation
“We don’t see a high rate of infection on public transport; we may allow a ridership increase.”
By HANNAH BROWNPEOPLE TRAVEL on a bus in Jerusalem this week.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The State Audit Committee, chaired by MK Ofer Shelah, discussed the issue of regulating the crowded public transportation system on Wednesday, in view of the restrictions due to the coronavirus that have limited the number of passengers and concluded that it may be possible to allow an increase in ridership soon.At the hearing, the deputy director general of the Health Ministry, Prof. Itamar Grotto, said, “We don’t see a high rate of infection on public transport; we may allow a ridership increase.”He added that despite the planned measures for additional restrictions in light of the rising morbidity, there will not be major changes in the issues affecting the public transportation system, as long as the Health Ministry continues to ensure that all passengers wear masks.During the discussion, many claims were made by the representatives of public organizations that the reduction in service and cancellation of lines during the pandemic caused severe harm to the passengers who inevitably switched to private car travel because there was no other transportation solution. MK Iman Yassin Khatib told the committee that many lines that operated in Arab localities before the coronavirus pandemic had not yet returned to service.Shelah said, ”When you attend the hearings and hear about the hardships, you understand why the State Comptroller had to write a special report on public transportation. These are shortcomings and problems that existed before the corona. . . [and] these are the effects of the no less than criminal neglect of public transport in every category: buses, trains, light rail . . .The only bright spot that came up in the discussion is that the current situation of the corona allows companies to do more infrastructure work than has been done for a long time. Here at the committee, I will continue to monitor and see how all the closed lines will operate again soon, and make sure that those who choose public transportation can do so and it will be for the best."Many passengers have reported long waits because of service reductions and some have reported that intercity buses, notably the lines that run between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, have been as crowded as ever, in spite of the restrictions.Said one daily rider, "They don't let you on the seat right behind the driver, but otherwise people push right in, unless there are police around." He did note that passengers generally wear masks and that when people remove their masks, to speak on the phone or eat, other passengers instruct them to put the masks back on.Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report
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