Government Data Error Misstated Passenger Counts on Haifa-to-Kiryat Shmona Bus Line

A public transportation data error in Israel’s open government database made busy northern bus lines appear nearly empty, including the long Tel Aviv to Kiryat Shmona route. The article says the official file listed an average of 0.1 weekly passengers for the northern lines, a figure that seemed to suggest total abandonment of the war-hit region or massive waste of public resources.

A check of the database materials showed the number was mislabeled. The column described as “avg passenger per week” was not a weekly ridership figure at all, but an internal metric measuring passengers per kilometer, or PPK. That incorrect heading created a misleading picture in which full buses appeared empty on paper.

The Transportation Ministry acknowledged the mistake. It said the column title was inaccurate, the figure actually reflected average passengers per kilometer, and the matter would be corrected with the managers of the public database. The ministry added that the database is published for transparency and used by planning firms, operators and local authorities, while ministry professionals rely on internal systems for policy and budget planning.

The article also describes Route 845, an Egged bus that leaves Tel Aviv Central Bus Station every half hour and reaches Kiryat Shmona in about 3.5 hours after 107 stops, including Umm al-Fahm Junction, Hula Valley Nature Reserve and the Kaduri Agricultural School. In the evening, Route 840 is the alternative, with Route 843 to Katzrin cited as another contender for one of the country’s longest rides. Both routes replaced the historic Route 841, which ran for more than 60 years until it was canceled in April 2014. Drivers say the northern routes remain crowded with soldiers, students, elderly passengers and medical workers, but operating them during repeated alarms and shelling leaves decisions about whether to stop or continue up to the driver alone.