Members of Knesset Yael German, Karin Elharrar, and Yoel Razvozov (all from the Yesh Atid party) intend to put forth a bill that would allow local authorities to operate public transportation on Saturday, known as Shabbat (Sabbath), in Israel. The bill would permit minibuses to run within each locality and on intercity roads.
According to the bill, making public transportation available on Shabbat is designed to give some mobility to sectors that cannot drive or afford to drive, such as the elderly or youths. The bill is set to be presented to Israel’s Ministerial Committee on Legislation next Sunday.
The bill stipulates that public transportation on Saturday would have a limited scope—only one or two bus lines that go to and from city centers would run, and the buses would not enter religious neighborhoods or pass synagogues.
Elharrar, Rasvozov, and German emphasized that the bill would not affect anyone who wanted to observe Shabbat, since current Israeli law allows any employee to refuse to work on Shabbat.
Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org