There has been a 200% rise in less than two years in complaints about buses not stopping to pick up passengers, according to the Ministry of Transport’s supervisory reports. At the same time, according to 15 Minutes, the public transport consumer NGO, and the HopOn public transport tickets platform, more than 4,400 bus travelers have reported over the past year that buses did not stop for them at the bus stop. These organizations do not believe that this is an isolated problem but rather due to the financial incentives to bus drivers, a lack of bus drivers and only partial enforcement.
"I work in central Israel and return every day by train to Beersheba," says Liav Bar Noy. "When I arrive in the city, and wait for route 16 - the driver looks, sees me and other people at the railway station, and continues driving. And it's not even empty." Bar Noy this occurs at least once a month. "This has happened mostly in the last year, I don't know what changed. I contacted the company twice and they told me they would look into the matter, but I'm waiting until now. One time I also took a taxi, caught the bus and confronted the driver. Of course, he claimed he didn't see me."
Will the time come when you'll give up on the bus?
"That moment has already come. For the past two months, I've been taking taxis because it doesn't make sense anymore. It doesn't always arrive on time, I've gotten used to it, we're not in Japan. But even when it does arrive - it just passes you by."
"Stopping is a recommendation"
Of the 4,400 passengers who officially complained over the past year (May 2025-May 2026) about buses not stopping 1,069 were for Dan buses, 879 Metropolin and 515 Egged. However, when examining the complaints in relation to the number of validations in the app - Metropolis leads the table with 1.85 complaints for every hundred validations, followed by Tnufa with 1.6.
Even from a broader perspective, it seems that the situation has deteriorated. From the semi-annual control report on the activity of public transport operators, which includes surveys and controls along the various routes it appears that in the second half of 2025, 750 negative findings were recorded in the "not stopping" category. This is compared to 593 findings in the first half of the year, 387 findings in the second half of 2024, and 244 findings in the first half of 2024. However, it should be noted that this category is broader than not stopping at a stop and includes stopping far away from the stop and passengers on the bus being forced to miss the stop.
According to the report, the area that suffers the most from the phenomenon is Tel Aviv - Dan's rate of defective findings in the area stands at 3.4%.
A survey of bus services in Jerusalem by the Direct Line organization shows that about 44% of passengers suffer from buses regularly not stopping. One of those who experiences this phenomenon in the city is resident Limor Salzman. "My small children suffer from this on several lines - 75, 74, 5, 505, 504. Unfortunately, on these lines, stopping at stops is only a recommendation. They have to literally get down to the middle of the road and try to stop the bus with their hand."
Have you tried contacting anyone?
"I have complained several times to the Ministry of Transport and received responses that they had fined them, but unfortunately it doesn't help and they continue not to stop at stops. It's hopeless."
What is the state doing?
"This is an occurrence that is being heard about more and more, all over the country," explains 15 Minutes CEO Sivan Shmuelovich. "According to reports, we see that the phenomenon occurs mainly in more problematic areas, such as intercity roads or when there are several stops in the same place. Bus traffic jams are created and drivers don't have the patience to wait."
Beyond the technical reasons, Shmuelovich points to a fundamental problem: "In fact, bus drivers have negative incentives to stop at stops, and there is insufficient enforcement of this. Bus companies are compensated mainly for the number of kilometers they drive, and they are hardly held to account by the number of passengers they carry."
New regulation in the bus industry has been promoted since 2024, and as part of it, this issue is to be addressed. Last January, the Knesset Economic Committee discussed the fact that the regulation will include an increase in subsidy payments for the number passengers from 7% to 15%, so that 85% of the compensation will be based on kilometers and 15% on passengers. "The question is how this will translate on the ground," says Shmuelovich. "We must remember that the shortage of drivers also causes poorer service. Less-skilled drivers are accepted into the field, who provide poorer service. The traffic jams and lack of traffic lights also make drivers less patient."
Have you experienced this on a personal level as well?
She says, "Yes. A bus didn’t stop for me and I reported it to the company. At first, the company sided with the driver, and only after I insisted did they go and check their systems to see if the driver had opened the doors. That was only after I insisted, and it is likely that they also knew who I was. There is a closing of the ranks by the companies around the issue. There is not deterrence, there is not enough enforcement, and there is not enough incentive.
"Ultimately, this has a decisive impact on the reliability of public transport. There is a collection of problems that we know we are likely to encounter along the way - buses that are not on time, do not arrive, and unfortunately also arrive and do not stop. All of this exacerbates the lack of trust between passengers and public transportation. Those who do not have patience, and have an alternative, will of course choose it."
Responses: "Industry-wide phenomenon"
Ministry of Transport: "The Public Transportation Authority views seriously any case in which a bus driver does not stop at a stop without justification. Every report on the subject is thoroughly examined, and if a violation has been committed, sanctions are applied to the operators, including fines and additional enforcement measures. The increase in the number of incidents reflects, among other things, the expansion of the control system and the improvement of monitoring capabilities. At the same time, the ministry continues to promote industry-wide regulation, which is intended to create more appropriate reward mechanisms for operators, along with strengthening the quality of service."
Dan: "In the second half of 2025, only 34 cases of failure to stop at stops were recorded, out of 1.7 million trips and transit at 68 million stops. The company invests enormous resources in order to control the level of service, with an emphasis on traveling on the route and stopping at bus stops."
Metropolin: "Metropolin views seriously any case in which a bus does not stop for a passenger at a stop. Each complaint is examined individually, and if a deficiency is found, it is handled by professional and disciplinary means. The company is working to improve service and draw lessons in order to reduce such cases as much as possible."
Kavim: "Failure to stop at stops is an industry-wide phenomenon resulting from the shortage of drivers, and is at the top of the company's priority list. The company handles any case of failure to stop at a stop that is brought to its attention or monitored by it through ongoing inspections."
Tnufa: "In accordance with the Ministry of Transportation's guidelines, it is prohibited to pick up passengers beyond the permitted capacity. Therefore, buses that have already reached maximum capacity cannot stop and pick up additional passengers."
No response was forthcoming from the other companies.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 23, 2026.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.