Bus Company to Pay Soldier $8,300 After Discrimination Incident
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
An Israeli bus company, Egged, will pay 30,000 shekels to a reserve soldier who was removed from a bus in Jerusalem by a driver and passengers who claimed the route was for women only. The incident occurred on Memorial Day for fallen soldiers. Egged has agreed to the settlement and will conduct awareness training for its drivers to prevent future discrimination. A similar case nine months ago resulted in a 40,000 shekel payout.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Egged bus company will pay 30,000 shekels to a soldier removed from a Jerusalem bus.
- The soldier was allegedly removed due to claims the bus route was for women only.
- The incident occurred on Memorial Day for fallen soldiers.
- Egged will conduct awareness training for drivers to prevent gender discrimination.
- A similar discrimination case nine months ago resulted in a 40,000 shekel payout.
A reserve soldier, identified as 'A', was removed from an Egged public bus in Jerusalem on Memorial Day for fallen soldiers after the driver and ultra-Orthodox female students claimed the route was for women only. The soldier recounted that the driver initially signaled him not to board, but he entered through the back door. Inside, students insisted he leave, stating it was a private transport for girls, while the driver delayed the bus, signaling him to exit. "I felt like a second-class citizen in my own country," the soldier stated, describing the incident as discriminatory. He subsequently contacted the Ministry of Transport, Egged, and the Reform Movement's Center for Religion and State, which assisted him in reaching a settlement.
Egged recently agreed to a compromise with the soldier, awarding him 30,000 shekels (approximately $8,300) in compensation. The company also committed to raising awareness among its employees to prevent gender-based discrimination. The soldier explained his decision to pursue the matter, stating, "There are many people like me who experience such events daily and give up their rights. This is how it slowly becomes some kind of norm. We must not let this continue to happen."
This is not the first instance of a passenger being removed from an Egged bus due to claims of it being a women-only route. Approximately nine months prior, a similar incident occurred in Haifa where a passenger named Sa'ar Koren was removed from an Egged bus under similar pretenses. In that case, the Center for Religion and State was also involved, and the passenger received 40,000 shekels in compensation for unlawful gender discrimination.
Egged issued a statement acknowledging the incident as serious and contrary to the company's values and procedures. They emphasized that their routes are open to all passengers without discrimination. Following the event, the company conducted a thorough review and reinforced its procedures with all drivers, expressing regret for the incident.
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