For the first time, free buses will run between Ben-Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv on Saturdays, Tel Aviv deputy mayor Meital Lehavi announced this week.
Na’im Besofash, a private bus initiative that operates in over a dozen Israeli municipalities, will add a stop at Ben-Gurion Airport on line 711 to allow those who fly on Shabbat to easily and affordably reach Tel Aviv.
In recent years, the company made waves by introducing buses on Rosh Hashanah after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lehavi, who is also a company founder, announced the expansion to Ben-Gurion Airport on X/Twitter.
“This is not a political statement,” she wrote, “but a response to a basic, social, and equitable need, and we will continue to expand freedom of movement across the country for the benefit of all citizens of the state. ”
Public transportation on Shabbat has been a contentious issue since its inception, with many religious Jews who refrain from traveling on Shabbat opposing it. Public buses don’t run on Shabbat, but free private bus lines have become increasingly popular as more secular Israelis resist religious elements of Israeli society.
Lauding the addition as a “significant milestone in civil freedom of movement,” Lehavi also expressed her gratitude to Shoham mayor Dafna Rabinowitz for allowing the route to be redrawn.
“In a place where the government leaves a vacuum, local authorities once again take responsibility and lead,” Lehavi noted.