Israel's Transportation Ministry Under Regev: Rising Costs, Neglected Infrastructure, and Safety Concerns

During the tenure of Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Israel experienced a 20-year high in road fatalities, with 455 deaths in 2025. The pace of road construction slowed significantly, Regev opposed the metro project, and enforcement on public transportation lanes was canceled. The ministry also saw appointments of associates to key positions, a practice dubbed "the traffic light method" by the media. Public transportation fares increased by 50%, service quality declined, and Regev delayed a law on metropolitan authorities while prioritizing service for Haredi events. Israel Railways saw a drop in punctuality and a near doubling of losses. In aviation, a "Fly Dubai" incident revealed a lack of oversight on foreign airlines, and the ministry failed to regulate flight prices during wartime, leading to soaring costs. Regev herself spent over 100 days abroad during her term.

Road safety has deteriorated, with road deaths rising about 30% during Regev's three years, reaching a 20-year peak in 2025. Experts attribute the recent surge to wartime stress on drivers and the redeployment of traffic police to security duties. However, road construction also slowed dramatically under Regev, with new road construction falling over 60% and upgrades dropping about 84% in her first year compared to the previous minister's tenure. Long-term solutions like the Gush Dan metro project were also stalled due to Regev's opposition.

Significant leadership vacancies plagued key transportation bodies, including the Airport Authority, NTA (Urban Transport Networks), the National Road Safety Authority, and the Metro Authority, which operated without permanent directors for extended periods. The "traffic light method" investigation, which suggested budget priorities were influenced by political support for Regev's Likud primary campaigns, was recommended for closure by the police without Regev being questioned.

Public transportation users faced a 50% fare increase within 18 months, with urban trips rising from 6 to 9 shekels. Severe driver shortages led to long waits, and a structural reform to transfer public transport management to regional authorities, similar to global models, was blocked by Regev due to concerns about losing ministerial authority. Conversely, transportation was enhanced for Haredi events, including a wedding and a large anti-conscription rally.

Israel Railways experienced a decline in on-time performance to 91.6% in late 2025, with quarterly losses nearly doubling. A severe incident in August 2025, where a freight train damaged electrical cables twice, caused widespread delays and significant financial damage. The railway electrification project, initially due to finish by 2019, remains incomplete, with an estimated completion date of 2026-2027.

The Civil Aviation Authority, under the Ministry of Transportation, failed to enforce a condition requiring pilots to be from countries with relations with Israel. This led to dozens of Omani pilots landing in Israel on "Fly Dubai" flights, among others from countries without diplomatic ties. This oversight was exposed during a "Fly Dubai" incident in late September 2026, where a suspect was subdued. The Prime Minister acknowledged a "breach" in oversight, and it was revealed that the ministry had not accessed passenger and crew lists for two years, despite being authorized to do so. The ministry cited that it is not an intelligence agency responsible for vetting foreign personnel.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority failed to establish a framework for regulating flight prices during prolonged emergencies, as noted in a state comptroller's report. This inaction allowed three Israeli airlines to dominate the market when foreign carriers departed, causing prices to skyrocket. Meanwhile, Minister Regev took numerous international trips, spending over 100 days abroad, with flight costs for 2025 alone reaching approximately 1.6 million shekels.