A lawsuit has been filed in the Jerusalem District Court, with petitioners requesting it be recognized as a class action suit against Egged, claiming riders on mehadrin lines between Yerushalayim and Haifa receive preferential treatment.
According to Ruth Yasur, the fares on the 940 and 947 lines are tens of percent higher than the fare on the 972, the chareidi mehadrin line. She also claims the level of service on the non-mehadrin lines is considerably lower than the mehadrin counterpart. Yasur is requesting the court recognize the suit retroactively for a number of years to when the mehadrin service began. The suit points out the fare on the mehadrin line is NIS 26 while the regular fare is NIS 41. In addition, riders receive preferential treatment since the regular Haifa-Jerusalem line travels from central bus station to central bus station, while the mehadrin service picks up and drops off passengers in chareidi neighborhoods.
Therefore, the mehadrin riders not only pay less, but save time because they do not have to make their way to and from a central bus station.
The suit alleges the current reality is the result of “take care of me and I will take care of you” policy that has existed between transportation ministers and the chareidi lobby in Knesset as well as the influence of chareidi askanim, which results in discrimination against the non-chareidi commuter population.
The suit measures the damage at NIS 77 million based on the fare differential, the number of seats per bus and the additional intra-city bus required by non-mehadrin commuters, calculated by 655 buses a week on the regular lines.
Egged spokesman Ron Ratner explains the issue of the mehadrin lines is pending in the Supreme Court. He added the matter will be given to Egged attorneys and the company will act in accordance to the law.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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5 Responses
I don’t know about this. It is interesting thought that I was just thinking yesterday that all the bus lines that go through the Chareidi neighborhoods in Yerushalayim are usually very old buses that do not have air conditioning or lights and are really disgusting. Most of the buses going out of the Chareidi neighborhoods are usually new, air-conditioned, lit up, and very comfortable. Hmmmm
Not sure how long ago you visited or lived in Israel but the buses today are the latest and newest vehicles available to Egged and trust me they are nice!
“Lobbying” is just another word for corruption between two parties one that wants to gain political/financial gain while the other wishes to improve its standing/conditions over the rest of the “competition” you see it here in the US all the time, Israel is no different!
Is this Chilul Hasem? Not for me to say in this case but why not give everyone the same price and service?
Become frum and save money!
iib001-i travel 4-5 times 5 days a week on egged buses;yes there many new buses-but theres no shortage of old ones….and anyway who cares how new a bus is if you are standing in a jam packed sardine can (even if you get to feel some wisps of ‘cold air’………
It’s all about money. Before the Ashdod – Bnei Brak line was Mehadrin, there were about 20 buses a day in each direction and there was an average of 10 people on each bus.
Now that it’s Mehadrin, there are 50 – 100 buses a day and they’re mostly full.
So whose making money?
Egged is a business. The Mehadrin lines are business decisions.