Miri Regev's Transport Reform Causes Sharp Decline in Public Transit Ticket Validations

New data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reveals a significant slowdown in the growth of public transportation ticket validations following the implementation of Transport Minister Miri Regev's "Transportation Justice" reform. In 2025, the increase in ticket validations dropped to just 1.4%, down sharply from about 7% the previous year. This confirms earlier assessments by the Knesset Research and Information Center that the reform would not boost public transit ridership.

The reform, launched in early 2024, aimed to reduce public transportation costs and encourage usage by lowering the free ride eligibility age from 75 to 67 and introducing a 50% discount for residents of socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. However, to finance these discounts, Regev redirected a budget of 500 million shekels originally intended for expanding routes and trips. Additionally, she opted to raise general fare prices rather than accept a 700 million shekel budget cut, resulting in a cumulative fare increase of about 45% for a single urban ride, from 5.50 shekels before the current government to 8 shekels today.

This price hike sparked public protests dubbed the "ticket validation rebellion," with estimates from the Public Transport Passengers Organization 15 Minutes indicating that within a year, the share of passengers not paying or validating tickets rose from 20% to 30%. The reform's failure to attract new riders is particularly evident among senior citizens. CBS data shows that while the number of seniors eligible for a 50% discount nearly halved, those qualifying for free rides almost doubled due to the lowered age threshold. Yet, the combined share of these profiles barely changed, indicating no real increase in senior ridership, only a shift from paying to free rides.

The data highlights the unintended consequences of the reform, which prioritized fare discounts for select groups at the expense of overall fare affordability and service expansion, leading to stagnation in public transit use and increased fare evasion.