Next month, the Rav Kav travel card reform by which bus drivers will no longer load the cards, will come into effect in Tel Aviv and the Gush Dan region, sources inform "Globes." The change was already introduced in Jerusalem four months ago.
From the middle of December, passengers in the Tel Aviv region will be required to pre-load their cards before boarding buses. Rav Kav cards will be loadable online, and via machines deployed around towns and cities mainly in retail chains and at kiosks but also at some heavily-used bus stops. Card loading machines will also be installed on buses on main routes. Payment will be by credit card, or by cash, but change will not be given.
The reasons given for the change are safety, since dealing with cash distracts the driver's attention while driving, and making journey times faster and improving punctuality.
Occasional passengers will be able to buy a one-off ticket on buses for NIS 5.90, but it will not be transferable for additional free rides. The elderly are allowed to fill their Rav Kav on buses following complaints from senior citizens in Jerusalem. There is a NIS 5 fee for buying the Rav Kav card for the first time.
Rav Kav cards can be used on all the country's buses, Israel Railways and the Jerusalem light rail.
The Ministry of Transport declined to comment on this report.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on November 20, 2018
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