Israeli Analyst Calls for Full Privatization to Rescue Public Transportation System

Eliya Yashiv Briner highlights the daily frustrations of Israel's public transportation through the story of Yonatan, a reservist stranded at a bus stop on a rainy winter Sunday when his bus never arrived. This scenario exemplifies systemic failures in the current public transit model, which Briner argues can only be fixed through full privatization, free competition, and removing state control.

Currently, Israel operates under a partial privatization model where the government controls routes, schedules, and fares, while private companies compete for subsidized contracts. Briner advocates for a third model: complete privatization, where private firms independently decide routes, frequencies, and ticket prices based on supply and demand. He cites Japan's fully privatized rail system as a successful example and acknowledges mixed results in the UK but stresses that privatization is reversible if it fails.

Briner challenges the notion that public transportation must operate at any cost, emphasizing that many complaints focus on service reliability rather than price. He suggests raising fares to improve service quality, arguing that in a true free market, companies would compete by offering better-maintained, punctual buses to attract customers. He dismisses concerns about service in peripheral or late-night areas, stating that unprofitable routes indicate low demand and that entrepreneurs would fill genuine needs.

The article criticizes government subsidies as politically driven and inefficient, proposing that social aid be voluntary and community-based rather than state-mandated. Briner also points to the inefficiency of government-run services compared to private sector operations and calls for ending the dominance of legacy companies like Egged and Dan to foster real competition.

Finally, Briner notes that full privatization would depoliticize contentious issues such as public transportation on Shabbat, allowing companies to operate according to market demand without political interference. He concludes that privatization shifts power to consumers, ensuring companies serve passengers rather than government officials, promising a future where buses reliably wait for passengers rather than the reverse.