MK Rabbi Eichler Makes Last Minute Appeal for Meron Transport Relief

Everything is ready for the hundreds of thousands who will travel to Meron for Lag BaOmer – except for the busses.

The government may end up the victim of its own success – with the large crowds expected to take public transportation to Meron throughout Wednesday paying the price, said MK Rabbi Yisrael Eichler in a letter to Transport Minister Yisrael Katz. Co-authored with Rabbi Meir Rubinstein, Mayor of Beitar Illit, the letter points out that the recent cut in prices of public transportation has prompted many more people than usual to opt for public transportation to travel to Meron – yet the number of buses has not kept pace.

“Much planning went into preparing for Lag BaOmer, both on the part of the bus companies and the public, as they were encouraged to do,” the letter said. “Many people bought tickets in advance, but the sad truth was that even on Tuesday there were no more tickets to buy. Attempts to control the situation have led to messy crisis. Instead of chartering buses and pressing them into service, the bus companies have simply decided to stop selling tickets.”

MK Rabbi Eichler said that a panic situation could develop if non-ticketed passengers try to board the buses anyway. The letter urged authorities to supply additional buses, despite the last-minute situation.