New 'smart card' system to give bus riders 20% off

RavKav "smart card" to be used in six Dan region communities; other companies to start card use by August 2008.

By RORY KRESS
egged bus 298.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski )
egged bus 298.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski )
Starting next Tuesday, customers of the Kavim bus company will be able to get 20 percent off their fare in six Dan region communities by using the new RavKav "smart card." The RavKav, which will be electronically rechargeable and reusable, will be available for purchase and use next week in Petah Tikva, Kiryat Ono, Yehud, Neveh Monoson, Or Yehuda and Savyon. Approximately 300 bus routes serving more than 250,000 residents will be affected by the change. In about a month, the RavKav system will be introduced in Nazareth, Hadera, Netanya, Safed, Nahariya, and between Netanya and Tel Aviv, on buses operated by the Sherutei Autobusim Mehuhadim, Nesiot Vetayarut and Nativ Express companies. The Connex company will start to use the system in approximately two months on all its lines in Ashdod, Tiberius, and Modi'in, and starting in January the RavKav is expected to be in use on metropolitan buses running between Beersheba and Tel Aviv. Dan, Egged-Ta'avura, SuperBus and Elite will not start using the RavKav until August 2008, and sometime after that it will be introduced by Egged and the remaining private bus companies The smart card will eventually be used on trains and, once it commences operations, on the Jerusalem Light Rail as well. RavKav will display the photograph of the passenger. In case of loss or theft, the remaining balance will be transferable to a new card. The RavKav will be available for sale in bus stations, malls and other authorized shops. To sign up, the passenger will present an identification card, authorization for a discount (senior, youth, etc.) if eligible, fill out a form and have a picture taken.