The collapse of bus service from Bnei Brak on motzei Shabbos may lead to Bnei Brak City Hall seeking to privatize bus service in the chareidi city, seeking to oust Egged entirely, with officials pointing the finger of blame for failures in service on the bus cooperative alone.

The city council convened on Sunday and Councilman Mordechai Dreiman explained he was there motzei Shabbos, having returned from Yerushalayim, attesting to the pandemonium and that resulted in yet another motzei Shabbos public transportation fiasco. He stated the time for blaming and counter-blaming has ended and with wedding season upon us, City Hall must take steps to provide adequate public transportation to city residents.

Rav Avraham Tannenbaum, a senior city official explained that Egged always blames City Hall but he adds Egged and Egged alone must build the central bus station. He explains the bus station in Jerusalem was funded by Egged, rightfully so, and the same must hold true in Bnei Brak and other areas since Egged is a for-profit firm, not a non-profit.

Egged insists a major factor contributing to problems is changes in traffic patterns in the city but Mayor Rav Yaakov Asher stated traffic changes will remain in place and if Egged is incapable of accommodating the changes, then it is time to search for a bus company that can.

The council convened with the decision that Egged must give responsible answers and if there is a repeat occurrence, the council must seek alternative solutions, the privatization of the city’s public bus service.

Bnei Brak City Hall released an official statement, in which it points out that in an effort to avoid the public’s wrath, Egged blames City Hall and the fact the city lacks a central bus station. City Hall explains Egged’s role is not a benevolent one but a profitable enterprise and as such, if it feels a bus station is vital, the bus company should build one and undertake the expense.

City Hall also rejects Egged claims that new traffic arrangements on Ezra Street near Vishnitz contribute to the traffic backlogs since buses can no longer pass one another. The statement explains the changes were approved by the Ministry of Transportation, aware of the dangers that existed previously. In addition, City Hall blames Egged for congestion since buses routinely stop too far from the curb at stops, creating a situation that prevents other vehicles, including buses, from passing a stopped bus.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)