Report: More Bus Riders Experience Worse Service

YERUSHALAYIM
An Egged bus. (RickP)

There are more people riding the buses in Israel than ever before – but they are getting worse service than ever, according to a report by Transportation Ministry’s Public Transportation Authority. The report, according to the News One network, shows that Israelis took 744 million bus rides in the second half of 2017, 4.5 percent more than a year earlier – but that service standards had sunk 4 percent.

The Authority used various criteria, including on-time performance, number of complaints lodged, frequency of service, and others to rank Israel’s 15 bus companies.

Topping the list were several small companies servicing just a city or a small region. The best service, according to the criteria, accrued to passengers of the Dan Darom company, which serves the northern Negev. That firm is independent of the Dan bus company, which serves the Tel Aviv region, and came in sixth in the ratings.

Meanwhile, other large bus companies were ranked even lower, with Egged ranked only the eighth best company for service, and Egged Transportation, which runs van service between cities, ranking ninth. Afikim was seventh, Metropoline tenth, and Kavim eleventh. Superbus, which serves many chareidi communities, came in next to last, at 14.

The bottom slot was taken by Dan Be’er Sheva. In response, the company said that “the report relates to a period when due to the transportation reform enacted by the Knesset we were required to buy 66 old buses from previous operators. Today we match 99 percent of the Authority’s criteria.”

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