Proposal to Eliminate Bus Validation for Seniors Sparks Safety Debate
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Tel Aviv-Yafo Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi has urged Transportation Minister Miri Regev to eliminate the requirement for senior citizens to validate their bus travel, citing safety risks and data showing over 1,500 hospitalizations from bus falls in the last decade. Lehavi suggests alternative technological solutions for passenger counting. The proposal highlights concerns about elderly passengers' balance, especially with faster electric buses. The Ministry of Transportation has not yet responded to the request.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Seniors may soon be exempt from validating bus trips in Israel due to safety concerns.
- Over 1,500 people were hospitalized from bus falls in Israel in the past decade.
- The proposal aims to prevent falls among elderly passengers, particularly on new electric buses.
- Data shows 68% of hospitalized bus fall victims were over 60, and 73% were women.
- Alternative passenger counting technologies and validation at bus stops are proposed solutions.
- The Transportation Ministry has not yet responded to the proposal.
A new demand has been submitted to Israel's Minister of Transportation, Miri Regev, proposing to exempt senior citizens from validating their travel on public buses. The initiative, championed by Meital Lehavi, Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo and head of the city's transportation portfolio, argues that the current requirement for seniors, who already travel for free, to validate their Rav-Kav card or app poses a safety risk.
Lehavi contends that forcing elderly passengers to approach the validation device before seating themselves, while the bus may already be moving, increases the danger of falls, especially given the rapid acceleration of new electric buses. This concern is underscored by data from the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research at Sheba Medical Center, which reported 1,520 hospitalizations due to bus falls in Israel over the past decade (ending December 2025). The data indicates that 68% of those hospitalized were over 60, 73% were women, and 11% suffered severe or critical injuries, with seven fatalities.
Lehavi emphasized in her letter to the minister that there is no justification for requiring citizens already granted free travel to perform an action that could endanger their health. She proposed either a complete exemption from validation for those aged 67 and above or the development of an alternative system to count passengers and transmit necessary data to public transport companies without requiring them to reach a validation device.
One suggested technological solution involves using beam-based counters at bus doors, similar to systems used by Electra buses, which automatically tally passengers and compare the count to validated trips. Another proposal from Eyal Hershtik, Director of the Road Safety Staff in Tel Aviv-Yafo, suggests placing validation machines at bus stops, akin to those at light rail stations, allowing passengers to validate before boarding.
As of now, Minister Regev has not yet responded to Lehavi's letter, which was also sent to Tel Aviv-Yafo Mayor Ron Huldai and other senior officials in the Ministry of Transportation and professional bodies. The outcome hinges on whether the Ministry of Transportation will consider the demand and revise its regulations.
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