Residents of Lapidot, a secular moshav in the Galilee between Karmiel and Ma'alot-Tarshiha, say a recent change to bus line 12 has cut them off from a vital transport link. The route, operated by Netivei Express, used to enter the village and connect residents to the Tefen industrial zone, the Karmiel train station, Ma'alot's clinic and schools, and onward travel to Nahariya. According to the community council, the change has harmed teenagers and elderly residents who rely on the line for education, work, and basic services.
The complaint, sent by the moshav's committee to the Ministry of Transport and obtained by Walla, says the altered route forces passengers to walk long distances and change buses in Kisra-Sumei, where line 12 runs only once an hour. Students who study in Kabri now need to take two buses to get to school. Local resident Tzachi Yosef said line 12 is the village's main artery and called the move "outrageous," adding that line 52 is not an adequate substitute. He said workers who catch the 6 a.m. train from Karmiel north for work are now arriving 30 minutes late, and asked how soldiers can get home like this.
The ministry said the changes were part of a broader transport upgrade in the Ma'alot-Tarshiha, Nahariya, and Karmiel area that took effect in another phase on June 19, 2026. It said line 12 was turned into a direct Karmiel-Ma'alot-Tarshiha service because a professional review found that only about 13 passengers a week on average boarded or alighted in Lapidot on trips to Ma'alot, and that stopping there lengthened travel times for all riders. The ministry said Lapidot still has service through line 52 to Karmiel, with about 30 daily trips each way, and that travel to Ma'alot and other destinations, including the Tefen industrial zone, remains possible by transferring between lines. Yosef rejected those figures, saying the number of passengers is much higher and that the village is about to expand by 34 families.
