(Hai Pa) – In the past week, there has been a worrying increase in violence against public transportation workers, both verbal and physical. One of the most notable incidents occurred today (Wednesday, 5/3/25) on Line 1 of the Haifa Metro, when a passenger attacked a traffic controller while she was working. The incident has re-raised the issue of public transportation workers’ safety and the call to recognize them as public employees, in order to increase the punishment for their attackers.
A reviewer was attacked while working at Matronit
A female metro inspector was attacked this afternoon during a routine inspection on Line 1, at the Kiryat Haim station. The bus was crowded, and when she asked one of the passengers to make way for her, she was met with a harsh response from the passenger, who told her: “Go to Gaza and look for another job.”
The inspector chose to ignore it and continue with her work, but when she was on her way back to the front of the bus, the passenger cursed her again. When the inspector asked why she was behaving, the cursing intensified and the passenger even pushed her with force. In response, the inspector asked the bus driver to call a police car.
Despite the attack occurring in front of all the passengers, none of them responded or intervened.
“I’m not threatening anyone – I just want to work”
N., the critic of the attacked matron, says that she has sensed a negative change in the attitude of passengers towards her in the past week, especially after the latest attack. She says that many see her headscarf and treat her in a hostile manner.
“I hear passengers say, ‘Be careful, Ramadan is the month of attacks.’ Others see me and make a sick face. But I don’t threaten anyone. I chose this job, even during the fasting days of Ramadan, because I prefer a diverse workplace. And I will continue to do it to the best of my ability,” she says.
Transportation Workers Union: “We will not tolerate violence against workers”
The Public Transportation Workers' Union reacted sharply to the incident and warned of an increase in violence against public transportation workers in the past week. The union said that these are public employees who provide an essential service and are subject to the same security threats as the rest of the public.
“There is no reason for this humiliating treatment,” the union said.
“Drivers and inspectors are not enemies of the public”
Itai Cohen, head of the Transportation Branch of the Workers' Power, which unites the metro workers, condemned the incident and emphasized the importance of the workers to the proper functioning of public transportation.
“Public transportation workers of all religions returned to operating the lines in the first days of the war, despite the risk. They are definitely not enemies of the public – quite the opposite. Unfortunately, we are witnessing an increase in cases of verbal and physical violence against drivers and visitors. We will not stand idly by in the face of this serious threat,” said Cohen.
Call for tougher punishment for attackers
The union called on the Ministry of Transportation to recognize public transportation workers as public servants. Such a step would allow for harsher punishments for their attackers, as has been done in cases of attacks on police officers, medical staff, and educators.
“The best answer to violence lies with the Ministry of Transportation – recognizing public transportation workers as public servants and punishing their attackers accordingly,” Cohen emphasized.
What are we doing to protect transportation workers?
Following recent events, there has been a demand to increase security on public transportation lines and to provide additional powers to inspectors and drivers, so that they can deal with incidents of violence in real time.
Meanwhile, the violence continues, and workers continue to do their jobs without adequate protection. The big question is – will steps be taken to ensure their safety, or will attacks become a dangerous routine?
Superbus Company responded by saying, The company condemns all types of violence and calls on the Israel Police to stop the violence on public transportation in the country that we are witnessing. The company is accompanying the employee as much as necessary and calls on the public to exercise restraint, especially during these complex times.
Do not finance the predatory monopolies Egged and Dan travel only by private vehicle
That they should not employ women with headscarves who look like terrorists.
Violence is unacceptable in any way and their personal safety must be taken care of first.
But it's also worth checking out some of the inspectors. It's not clear how they were recruited into the profession. Some of them talk to each other shouting as if they were in Cairo, creating a frightening atmosphere, especially in these tense days. In some cases, the issuing of fines seems selective, like it's some kind of gang of teenagers or "Zalmi" or it doesn't seem 100% professional. I've suddenly seen some of them skip an inspection and suddenly see a normative citizen who seems obedient, suddenly asking for an ID card to record a fine.
It would be worth it for the Ministry of Transportation to employ undercover inspectors (from different sectors and genders) who would document and also inspect the inspectors and raise the level of this profession.
It is also important to note that there are polite and kind inspectors who approach nicely and often explain nicely and also give a warning and not a fine. It is neither nice nor fair to generalize the criticism to everyone.
Spoiler: There is no obligation to present an ID card to business owners or business "inspectors".
This is done through the fear of punishment, such as regimes (dark or "enlightened") that have no real authority (just like in all forms of government).
Let them ask politely only if you really think they deserve money. (And no – they don’t). They are harassing the business owners with a license (and unnecessarily – without need and without purpose – harassment for the sake of harassment).
If you delay them another minute, they will move on to the next in line (they know you paid – they bother with the license – they get on at the central station and check knowing you paid). If you do this all year, 2026 will not be the year of change, but the joke will be on them.
I have a Rav Kav with me for the trip and I just didn't validate it and 2 ladylike inspectors gave me a fine. The government offices across the street have a validation device and it didn't work and I got on a Metro and 2 inspectors gave me a 100 shekel fine and I explained to them that the device didn't work and didn't help me, I also appealed and it didn't help me so there really wasn't any mercy for any evil inspector. These evil people deserve a ringing fist.
Company response: And examine... the equipment is our responsibility.
The short version: The problem is a social norm, and mild verbal or physical violence cannot be solved with literal fascism.
Remember the USSR? Inspectors of inspectors and bureaucrats in huge concrete buildings..
The inspectors are not volunteers. They are workers (slaves) of the pharaohs ("Pharaoh" in the plural). This or that job or in criminal organizations - what do you prefer? Most of them are rehabilitated criminals or rehabilitated from another illness. They are no substitute for fair and honest government and they are certainly not the "unbiased."
You wanted freedom, you got copy-paste from China-Russia-etc. and their wonderful methods. Choose right... then left and... right again - no matter what.
And what brought them down was a frail old man with scanty clothes and shopping baskets.. 😆
The level of people in a third world country like Mexico. All these people are substandard. It's horrible to live here. I wish I wasn't an Israeli Jew.
This is indeed a third (and sometimes fourth) world country.
Recognizing this is the beginning of change.
The world's refugee country.
Not all of them are rich and busy working in research labs.
In other countries, there are not many days off from work.
They don't study pyramids there either.
There are no dogs.
Don't forget the calendar, which is full of "special" days that multiply over time.
But every rule has an exception – indeed, there are slightly better places and slightly much better ones (and quite a few... this is an invitation to research or an article/article).
Violence is prohibited on public transportation in the State of Israel.
Usually it's the other way around.
Shocking behavior of both the inspectors and the drivers
Most of the passengers are working people, students and older people, and the inspectors treat those who have not checked or forgotten as if they have caught the heads of criminal organizations and the most dangerous criminals in the world.
Hey, cousin lovers, stop sticking your tongues in their asses.
A baboon, a bibist, a Kahanist and a racist, brainless. That sums you up well.
It has nothing to do with that. Politics doesn't help here. There were cases like this even when none of those you called 'cousins' were employed. No one watched one inspector catch one stowaway. Rumors about such incidents are... rumors.
There are a lot of Swedish inspectors coming to pose for Jewish passengers. We need someone to supervise them too, so that there won't be any incidents of violence.
See my response to you above. It's still relevant, you racist Kahanist.
They are not necessarily Swedes (usually they are) but they sometimes barely catch one undercover Swede once a year and zero more (that's what they're there for - is it worth it?) And now they're harassing regular passengers (monthly pass) who are not Swedes and also Swedes. Let them issue a pass to Sabar and that's it. Eli Sabar too. He probably doesn't use the service.
I don't justify violence, but I really encountered inspectors from the sector who abuse their authority in an excessive manner. A month and a half ago, I got on the bus. My hands were full of shopping and there was nowhere to put them. I couldn't attack the Rabbi Kav at that moment. The inspector started harassing me constantly and I explained to him that as soon as I could, I would attack the card, but he kept going and going until I finally managed to get the Rabbi Kav out of my pocket. I lost my balance and got hit in the back. So yes, they are crossing the line and they also need to be supervised.
"The Stolen Cossack" syndrome.
Traffic police, especially in Haifa, are known for their violence and aggressive style. I have seen with my own eyes more than once how they stop an entire bus with shouts, do not let any passenger go – and cause delays for shifts at work, school or medical appointments for an elderly person or a child who did not use a Rav-Kav.
A call to prevent idiots like you from responding.
Is it worth investing 20 NIS, multiplied by the number of buses, to travel further or not? What will the inspectors do? Security check?!
It's not justified, but there are inspectors who do deserve to be yelled at and insulted.
There seems to be a media battle between the transportation companies reporting violence against inspectors and the videos distributed online showing violence and shouting by inspectors.
Therefore, only inspectors with a background in martial arts should be recruited, passengers and inspectors should be equipped with weapons of war such as clubs, fists, and boxing gloves, combat arenas should be created at stations, and they should be brought together for street boxing fights for the enjoyment of passengers at stations.
You went the opposite direction from me.
Italian strike: delay, delayed, delayed, we delayed, delayed…