According to passengers, the Afikim Bus Company, which serves a number of chareidi areas, does not stand by its schedule and often drivers pass by bus stops even though people can be seen waiting.
Kikar Shabbos News reports that on a recent motzei Shabbos, dozens of passengers waited for over two hours for the Afikim 422 bus from Bnei Brak to Yerushalayim. The buses that passed were full and therefore, did not stop for additional passengers.
One passenger is quoted saying “I called the dispatcher office and was told a bus would arrive within 20 minutes. This did indeed occur but he too did not stop and left dozens standing at the bus stop.
“I tried calling the office again and after being on hold for some time I was told I should see alternative transportation”.
It is reported tens of stranded passengers phoned within a period of a number of hours. Some were told “There is nothing we can do. Simply take a taxi or look for another way to get there”.
The complaints are many and regular, as clearly the occurrence was not a ‘one-time event’.
When asked to comment, Afikim explained the buses that did not stop were full. The statement adds “The law states when a bus is filled to capacity the driver may not permit additional people to get on and this is why the buses did not stop, for the safety of its passenger.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
hmm so ywn that loves to show it knows halacha continues to spew lashon hara n motzei shem ra as the tittle is misleading and the ppl admit the buses were full perhaps a mechila is needed
ie real news is look at the ppl stealing from government by not paying taxes and voting for democrats which hurt their brethern
And the point of this article is? Seems pretty simple- no room, no stop. What should the company do, other than add buses if they want to remain an option people will consider? The headline seems to portray that company as not stopping to spite passengers, which seems highly inaccurate according to the article.
Looks like they did keep their schedule, they did not stop because they were full. Let’s stop playing the victim card. This story can easily be replaced by changing the city to Baltimore complaining that the white busses did not stop for the victimized African American segment.
Call Uber or a taxi. This was an unusual situation and people need to be flexible and not assume public transportation will always be available.