Israel Sees Decline in Public Transport Ticket Validations Despite Population Growth

The Central Bureau of Statistics released data on public transport ticket validations in Israel for 2024-2025, revealing a decline or stagnation in most transport lines despite population growth. Bus ticket validations totaled 780.9 million in 2025, marking a modest 1.4% increase, which is slower than the population growth rate. Wednesdays recorded the highest share of bus validations at 18.5%, while Mondays had the lowest at 17.8%. Jerusalem led in bus validations with 171.4 million, followed by Tel Aviv-Yafo with 81.3 million and Haifa with 54.8 million.

Light rail ticket validations in Jerusalem dropped by approximately 24% to 29.9 million in 2025 compared to 2024, attributed to renovations on a central segment last fall. The Haifa Carmelit also saw a 7% decline to about one million validations. Conversely, the Tel Aviv metropolitan light rail experienced a 21% increase in validations, rising to 29.9 million in 2025 from 24.7 million in 2024.