Changes to public transportation go into effect

As of Monday evening, changes were made to the public transportation routes in accordance with the new guidelines that were issued concerning the coronavirus pandemic.

Routes to employment centers, food shopping centers and medical centers will continue to operate as usual. Routes to entertainment venues will cease operations, as will the nighttime routes and student routes.

Stops at non-essential locations will be canceled and passenger usage and needs will constantly be reviewed.

Operators have been instructed to make sure that vehicles are not overloaded with passengers on any trip. The National Authority is constantly updating the public transportation service map in accordance with the guidelines.

In recent days, there has been a significant decline of tens of percent in the number of users of public transportation, following the call by the Transportation and Health Ministries to reduce unnecessary travel.

An examination of the passenger data shows that there has been a 50 percent decrease in the number of passengers. Industry officials at the National Public Transportation Authority estimate that the number of passengers will continue to decline in the coming days.

The Ministry of Transportation is holding professional discussions at all times with the participation of Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Ministry Director General Keren Turner and the Director of the National Public Transportation Authority Amir Asraf.

Starting on Tuesday, cash payments that are handed directly to the bus driver will be completely stopped. Passengers are required to purchase and load the Rav-Kav smart cards before boarding. Rav-Kav cards can be reloaded online with the help of a card reader, through a mobile phone on supported devices, vending machines, and thousands of locations across the country, including post offices and pharmacy chains.

The National Public Transportation Authority called on operators to prepare for the changes, and to adhere to the guidelines for drivers that include the use of disinfectants, including alcogel hand sanitizer.

Passengers are asked to obey instructions, not to stand close to the driver, keep as far away as possible from other passengers, and most importantly, to use public transportation only for essential travel.