(haipo) - The fare in the Carmel Tunnels is getting more expensive again, and the discount granted to subscribers is also canceled. Starting Wednesday 1/1/2025, owners of private vehicles, subscribers and non-subscribers, will pay 11.56 NIS for each journey segment, compared to lower rates that were in effect last July.
The operator of the Carmel Tunnels, the Carmelton Company, announced that as of Wednesday, January 1, 2025, the fare in the Carmel Tunnels will be updated. The rate increase is carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the concession agreement and in accordance with the linkage to the consumer price index. The fare, which last July was 10.31 NIS for a private vehicle with a subscription and 11.29 NIS for a private vehicle without a subscription, will now rise to 11.56 NIS for subscribers and non-subscribers.
As you may recall, the Carmel Tunnels project was designed, financed, established and maintained by the Carmelton Group, and is operated using the BOT ("build-operate-transfer") method, in which a private entity receives a concession from the state to finance, build and operate a public facility for a limited period. According to the agreement, signed in 2006, the Carmelton company has the right to continue collecting payments until the end of the concession in 2042. This means that the residents of Haifa and the surrounding area will continue to pay for the use of the tunnels for another 17 years, including price increases in accordance with the terms of the contract.
High rates and unrealized potential
The State Comptroller's report published in November 2024 describes failures in the operation of the toll roads in Israel, focusing on Route 6 and the Carmel tunnels. According to the report, about 30% of the capacity of the Carmel tunnels is not used, probably due to the high costs that discourage drivers. Despite the existence of several discounts, the tolls are seen as a particularly high price compared to other toll roads (discounts that, as mentioned, as of 1/1/25 have been canceled). The report also points to problems with customer service and traffic congestion.
The Mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav, reacted angrily to Carmelton's decision to raise the rates and cancel the discounts for subscribers
"The management of the Carmel Tunnels continues in an outrageous manner to raise rates and burden the pockets of the city's residents who need the service of this toll road. Under my guidance, the municipality filed a petition against the management of the Carmel Tunnels and the Ministry of Transportation. Until a decision is made by the court, and I have no doubt that the judges will justify our claims and sympathize with our plight The passengers, we are looking at other ways to act against the decree, among other things I am looking at the possibility of blocking through Municipal trucks enter the tunnels and disrupt their activities. Maybe this way the tunnel management will come out of its obscurity and listen to the public's complaints."
Repeated protests - is progress expected?
The price increase in the Carmel tunnels rekindles the public protest against toll road fees. Since 2015, there have been many attempts to change the tariff policy, but without significant success. Will a new protest succeed in changing the reality for the residents of Haifa and the surrounding area?
Currently, it is very doubtful whether the protest measures will affect the policies of the Carmelton company, which is protected by a rigid franchise agreement that has so far withstood the tests of time and public criticism.
From the Carmel tunnels it was delivered to Lai Pa:
"The tariff update is a result of the termination of the agreement to subsidize travel fares for private subscribers and the state's refusal to extend the agreement, as well as a result of the increase in the VAT rate and the increase in the index, according to the concession agreement with the state, which affect the entire public in Israel. We will continue to make our services and the tunnels available to all drivers, including the residents of Haifa."
I've been dialing for a week and there's no answer, shame on you.
To boycott, not to travel as long as they persist and break and lower the price.
To all the millionaire pensioners with the new car for NIS 200 - drive through the tunnels only by bus or stop complaining and hating everything around you while robbing the future generations with an inflated budget pension and endless benefits that produce the real cost of living.
Instead of dropping the case on the Carmelton company, the Haifa municipality should finance part of the cost for the subscribed city residents and then the price should be reasonable for the general public of Haifa. There is no reason that a private company should be unprofitable especially if it has a franchise and the state approved it, the fact that the contract signed between the city and the company does not take into account the residents of the city is already a loss for the municipality and the state for not thinking about the residents of the area. I understand people who rarely come to the north and they will not have to pay NIS 20-24 for a trip inside the tunnel once every six months. But it is a very high price that a city resident has to pay if he has to go through the tunnel 3-5 times a day... This is definitely an excessive price... At the same time, we residents pay a lot of taxes and fees anyway and there is no reason for the municipality not to subsidize part of the cost of traveling through the tunnel or find another solution for the residents the city, such as a daily fee for using the tunnel, even if a section costs NIS 20 but for attempts throughout the day, this can be a significant advantage for city residents who want to use In the tunnel…
So instead of the users paying directly, both those who use and those who do not, will pay through the funds that go from the residents to the city. When you said the words "the municipality will subsidize" where did you think this money was coming from. from the sky?
Everything is only in our hands. Don't wait for anyone. We don't travel in a tunnel. Why do they decide to boycott in Europe then there is a big boycott. Do not expect Yona Yahav to be able to fulfill what he promised. It's only in our hands, we snort them, we didn't travel in a tunnel, we will make them take a huge leap. No money
They will receive it from us then. Let's boycott!
Incomparable audacity to absorb these crazy costs
Just don't drive in tunnels, but in an emergency. Depreciation. The number of goods that will pass through the tunnel will reduce the company's profits and it will have to lower prices in order to return the number of goods. The tunnel is a convenient thing and certainly shortens time, but at the same time there is a limit. Here we have control over our expenses that have increased so much recently.
Boycott, boycott, boycott.
The obvious answer, boycott boycott boycott.
Do not use the Carmel tunnels, and let them collapse financially.
No more driving in tunnels!
Only from the road of heroes
Hope people will make a decision to avoid traveling.
Hi-tech companies, public companies, take the initiative and dry them up.