Public transportation to and from Modi’in Illit is quite developed, to the satisfaction of most residents and visitors, with lines running to and from areas of Yerushalayim and Bnei Brak. An erev shabbos becomes a transportation enterprise, as residents board buses that provide service to 15 nationwide destinations.

According to a HaMevaser report, despite the efficient system that governs public bus service to and from the chareidi city, there is no service to Betar Illit, and residents explain this is not for a lack of demand, there simply isn’t. Askanim have turned to the Ministry of Transportation, as well as the SuperBus Company, without success to date. It appears a dispute between the bus companies, SuperBus and Elite is the cause, preventing the establishment of a line between the two chareidi communities.

Transportation Ministry officials in the past have responded to a number of requests to launch a line, explaining it has yet to be determined which of the two companies will be given the route. For Betar Illit residents, this is not unique, explaining they lack many routes, having difficulty getting to communities like Elad and Ashdod.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)