(lives here in Chabatz) - Starting this week, 25/4/25, over a million senior citizens will be eligible for free public transportation, and an additional million and a half Israelis will benefit from significant discounts as part of the Ministry of Transportation's "Transportation Justice" reform, which is underway in a second wave. Who will feel the increase in their pockets and pay dearly?
"Transportation Justice" Reform
Starting Friday, April 25, 4, the circle of those eligible for free travel and discounts on public transportation will be expanded, as part of the second wave of the "Transportation Justice" reform led by Minister of Transportation and Road Safety, Miri Regev. As part of the reform, approximately 25 million senior citizens aged 1.1 and over will be entitled to free travel on all public transportation lines in Israel, including buses, Israel Railways, light rail, metro, Carmelit and the Haifa Cable Car – and with no limit on the number of trips.
Alongside the benefit for senior citizens, the circle of those eligible for a 50% discount will also be expanded based on socio-economic ranking, adding an additional XNUMX million Israelis who will be able to benefit from the discount. For the first time, the discounts will be given based on neighborhood ranking and not just city ranking, allowing residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods to benefit from discounts even if their city of residence is ranked relatively high.
While those eligible for free travel and those receiving benefits will benefit from the relief, other public transportation users will be required to absorb the sharp price increase that is expected to go into effect at the same time – an increase that could significantly weigh on passengers’ pockets. According to the draft regulations, starting April 25, the prices of single trips will increase by 2 shekels, and the prices of subscriptions – the free-daily, free-monthly, and train subscriptions – will jump by up to 33%.
The significant increase is not accompanied by an improvement in service, neither in the frequency of lines nor in the quality of public transportation, despite repeated declarations of reforms and efficiency. In reality, public transportation prices in Israel continue to climb, while the service lags behind.
Savings of thousands of shekels per year for the individual citizen
According to Minister Regev, this is a step that corrects historical distortions: "The 'Transportation Justice' fare revolution brings discounts to those who really need them. Our goal is to create real behavioral change and encourage the use of public transportation while reducing the cost of living. I fought to obtain the necessary budget, and I thank the Minister of Finance and the Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee for their support."
The Ministry of Transportation emphasizes that this is a significant savings for the population of senior citizens, who, according to data from the National Public Transportation Authority, frequently use public transportation. The transition from the benefit from age 75 to age 67 is expected to save the individual citizen hundreds of shekels per month - and thousands of shekels per year.
How do you receive the benefit?
The free ride is not granted automatically – senior citizens are asked to update their Rav-Kav profile to a "Zehav Kav" profile, via the "Rav-Kav Online" website, the "Hopaon" app, the "Al-Kav" service stations, or with the help of a proxy. A new card can also be issued free of charge to those who do not yet have a Rav-Kav card.
The Ministry of Transportation notes that over 80% of Israeli citizens are currently eligible for a discount or free travel on public transportation, thanks to a variety of criteria including age, socioeconomic status, residence in the periphery, military service, student status, eligibility for National Insurance, and more.
The Director General of the Ministry of Transportation, Moshe Ben-Zaken, said that "expanding the benefits is an integral part of the national effort to reduce road congestion and encourage a shift to public transportation. Together with the huge infrastructure projects we are promoting – smart transportation, trains, and light rail – we expect a real change in travel habits in Israel by the end of the decade."
My English-Teacher – Beautiful Sandra
From Denemark told me many years ago.. Finally, We have it here in our Hol
Hollyland Country – ISRAEL the 1
Jewish people country; Capital City
The Holly-City: JERUSALEM the 1
"Good news"... coming soon! In the future! More...
Lies, falsehood, deceit, and winking.
Although it is possible to come to the "on the line" position and convert the profile to 67+ at no cost, Tsard T'Thu-Ra inserted a "goat" in the form of 5 business days to wait for the change to be absorbed.
A simple calculation that even a grade school student can do will show that the true beginning of use is all the way before May 4th.
Cool your enthusiasm.
"Optimism = the name of the game"…!!!@@@
Otherwise, you don't enjoy the "fun of life"...!!!@@@
Leave the "pessimism" to the enemies outside...
It is not known that every "smart Jew" has "such and such"...
Conscious and unconscious opinions, as long as they are not biased…
It's not another 1.1 million senior citizens because some of them have been traveling for free for years.
The stupid absurdity is that, as was the case in yesterday's article regarding a certain street in Ramat Gan, one side will pay less because of a distorted definition of socioeconomic status, even though it is not true.
May the minister be kind enough to invest more in public transportation and encourage public transportation if they are already paying more.
All public relations
There are hundreds of thousands of very wealthy pensioners. They live in luxury apartments. They stockpile apartments and rent them out. Why should they get free travel on Israel Railways? They have thousands of shekels to own a luxury private car so they don't have money to pay on Israel Railways?
The middle-class families who suffer the most from the soaring cost of living should finance the free travel of millionaire pensioners on Israel Railways?? Does that make sense??
The 71-year-old lady who travels with her husband on a luxurious, pampering trip that cost tens of thousands of shekels to Ben Gurion Airport from Haifa, and they travel for free, and next to her sits a young mother who doesn't have a car from Bat Galim and needs to get to her room every day for work and then take the bus to the factory - and the cost of her trip will be expensive to finance the benefit for the 73-year-old?
In the moshav next to him, a young 30-year-old father is a single breadwinner because his wife has the baby and he lives in a rented apartment. He travels to work in Herzliya and uses the light rail or bus there to get to work. He is going to pay hundreds of shekels more to support the 74-year-old pensioner next to him who has an apartment in Almogi and a pension that is thousands of shekels higher than the salary of the young man next to him, but from now on he will not pay for the train to travel every week to his daughter who lives in Tel Aviv.
The whole situation just doesn't make sense.
Will public transportation be free on Independence Day, May 1, 5?
Trains and buses all over the country.
It is not possible to convert the Rav Kav to a Zahav Kav profile in the app.
After scanning the ID, the site displays a message stating that the age does not match the profile.
Wait until Friday, that's what they told me at the call center. There's also no point in going to the ticketing point before
Kudos to the Ministry of Transportation, the service is improving, the conditions are improving, and God willing, we will soon become a light to the nations.
It is clear from the article that the writer does not use public transportation, otherwise she would be with her family and not staying.
I hope they build public transportation routes and metros in all cities and finally there will be a train to Damascus again 💪
Praises
Let me guess, you are one of Miri Rekav's diamonds and a member of the Likud Center.
"I have an idea, let's add another item to the list of why people who are prosperous would want to get out of here..."
Fly.
Others will thrive here in your place and you will be jealous and will return with your tails between your legs when you begin to sense danger to your life.
The logic of the Ministry of Transportation's wording:
A millionaire retiree with a 15,000 shekel monthly pension in a villa in Denia – free travel.
A young family with a minimum wage rents an apartment in Neve Sha'anan with two children who travel by bus to school - an increase in cost of hundreds of shekels a year.
The unjust transportation reform grants public transportation benefits to the wealthy based on age – a stupid criterion, and burdens the costs on the young public who are on reserve duty, who are denied access to services, and who have difficulty coping with the high cost of living and housing in Israel.
Regev's Israel - a country without a future, populism and hollow slogans, and a lack of professionalism in one of the critical issues for economic and social development.
Not every senior citizen has a pension of 15000 per month. And not everyone lives in a villa in Denia or in any prestigious area.
In the building where I live, there are people 70 and older in a difficult financial situation.
You are making incorrect generalizations.
Senior citizens travel for free or at a reduced price in many places around the world.
And no, I am not a follower of Miri Regev.
The one making incorrect generalizations is not me, you are mistaken – it is the Ministry of Transportation that gives free rides to all 70-year-olds. Just as there are those who are truly needy, there are those who are truly rich, and they can afford a public transportation ride. There are also needy people aged 50, 30, 15 who do not live in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods but who will have a hard time paying hundreds of shekels more per month for public transportation rides to finance the discounts for the millionaire pensioners who received free rides. The one who made this stupid generalization is the Ministry of Transportation and the failed Minister of Transportation.
The logic of the Ministry of Transportation's wording:
A millionaire retiree with a 15,000 shekel monthly pension is sick in Dania – free travel.
A young family with a minimum wage rents an apartment in Neve Sha'anan with two children who travel by bus to school - an increase in cost of hundreds of shekels a year.
The unjust transportation reform grants public transportation benefits to the wealthy based on age – a stupid criterion, and burdens the costs on the young public who are in the reserve, who are struggling with standards, and who are struggling to cope with the high cost of living and housing in Israel.
Regev's Israel - a country without a future, populism and stale slogans, and a lack of professionalism in one of the critical issues for economic and social development.
Real.
Is traveling to Eilat with Egged also free?