A survey conducted by Israel Green Movement activists among hundreds of passengers on Israel Railways trains over the last few weeks has uncovered new details concerning the main problems disturbing passengers, and the main areas that require improvement. The survey was carried out as part of a new Israel Green Movement campaign to improve public transportation in Israel.
The findings of the poll, which involved 300 passengers travelling on the Ashkelon-Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv-Haifa lines during October and November, indicate that no less than 63% of passengers reported over-crowding. Among passengers who consider themselves frequent travelers, 89% reported that overcrowding is a common problem.
Another significant problem that plagues passengers is delays: 66% of travelers reported that trains are chronically late (74% of frequent travelers reported this problem). On the other hand, apparently cleanliness on trains is not as bad as many think: most passengers reported that the coaches (87.5%) and the platforms (93%) are usually clean. Railway employees also received high marks: 91% of passengers reported that employees were courteous.
In accordance with the high number of complaints of overcrowding, it is not surprising that most passengers think that the Ministry of Transport should increase the frequency of trains (66%). In parallel, 53% of passengers think that prices should be lowered, while 49% think that the most important task is to add additional coaches to current trains in order to reduce over-crowding.
The survey will be presented at the National Conference for Sustainability, which will be held in Ashdod on December 13 and 14 at the Yad L'banim House. Minister of Environmental Protection Gilad Erdan, Ashdod mayor Dr. Yechiel Lasri, members of Knesset, and environmental organization representatives will participate in the conference.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 11, 2011
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