Three Members of Knesset from the Yesh Atid party headed by Yair Lapid have initiated a bill to permit public transportation on Shabbos in cities around Israel.

MKs Yael German, Karen Alharrar and Yoel Rozbozov are calling to permit public transportation in major cities as well as Intracity service to permit those with and without a driver’s license to get around Shabbos without a vehicle.

German feels it is a matter of “social justice” to permit the many people without a vehicle get out on the day of rest, to visit parks and have a day of entertainment or just visit a beach during the summer months. She explains that not everyone has a vehicle and not everyone can afford a cab.

She stresses Yesh Atid does not wish to introduce buses to chareidi areas “to avoid offending the Shomer Shabbos community. Public transportation would not pass shuls and avoid entering dati leumi and chareidi areas”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)