The Ministerial Legislative Committee has approved a bill presented by Yahadut HaTorah MKs Gafne and Maklev for the establishment of an external appeals committee which will address fines pertaining to the Jerusalem light rail.

The bill will be brought before the Knesset plenum on Wednesday, for a preliminary vote. According to the HaMevaser report, while the light rail has only been operating for a number of months many passengers received fines and more than a small number of the recipients feel the fines were unjustifiable, in many cases due to the lack of code synchronization on passenger smart cards between Egged and the light rail system.

Another reason for the hundreds of fines issued in the light rail’s six month history is the lack understanding by riders, simply not sure how to swipe the smart card, the procedure when transferring from a bus and other related regulations. The light rail inspectors have earned a poor reputation for being discourteous, vulgar and unprofessional, with public officials addressing many complaints regarding their unacceptable performance.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)