#0202_A_View_From_West_Jerusalem

"Jerusalem: Bus rides – Only With a Rav-Kav [1]

Starting in March, a pilot run will begin in the capital which would not allow people to pay bus fares with cash.

If you're used to paying the bus driver or charging your Rav-Kav with the bus driver, the time has come to change your habits. Starting in March, you won't be able to do that anymore in Jerusalem. This model is, then, supposed to spread to other cities in the country.

Today in Be'er Sheva, passengers are unable to pay the driver on every bus, but on the 1 bus line from Bat Yam to Petah Tikvah, via Tel Aviv, on commuter buses, they can. There are two ideas behind this process, which will influence millions of riders each year.

The first is passenger safety and the second is schedule improvement and specificity in departure times, that are affected today by the the driver's involvement with ticket sales. In a survey published by the Rav-Kav Online company and done by geocartography, there's a 75% increase in passengers who support the process, including populations who are avid public transportation users such as the elderly, Haredim, and new Olim.

Egged, the first bus company to implement these changes in Jerusalem, is preparing to purchase Rav-Kav charging stations, where one could use both cash and credit card [to purchase bus fares]. The company has said, 'this step will create total separation between the driver's primary role and between the commercial aspect of ticket sales and will reduce contact between the driver and the passenger.' Instead of charging the Rav-Kav on the bus, people will now only be able to [charge their cards] using the application or designated charging stations throughout the country."

– Article Posted on Jerusalemites Facebook Group

[Selected Comments:]
– "And what about people who don't have a Rav-Kav? What about tourists, new Olim who have a hard time with the language, elderly people who have a hard time with technology?"
– "This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen… no logic to this whatsoever."
– "Everyone who is all riled up against this either doesn't take public transportation or is just a crybaby. Finally the bus driver can just drive and won't be bothered with money."

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0202 Editor's Note:
[1] The Rav-Kav is a pre-paid card that is used for for public transportation rides throughout Israel, similar to MetroCards used in New York City, or Oyster cards used in London.

#Public_Transportation #Rav_Kav #Egged

https://goo.gl/ZX2kgY

https://www.facebook.com/1675349376080655/posts/2048790845403171