"Complete collapse": Local council heads protested at Regev's office - but she wasn't there

Local council heads from the Samaria and Jerusalem areas arrived at the Ministry of Transport for an unusual protest following severe disruptions in the service of the bus company "Tnufa". They gathered at the office of Minister Miri Regev, but she was not present. The council heads demand immediate action to restore regular service, against the backdrop of a 5% non-performance rate in the first half of 2026 and resident complaints about buses that do not arrive.

Local council heads from the Samaria and Jerusalem areas, where the public transportation company "Tnufa" operates, arrived this morning (Wednesday) at the Ministry of Transport for a joint and unusual protest. The reason: severe disruptions, surprise strikes, and exceptional non-performance data reaching 5% in the first half of 2026. The council heads gathered directly at the office of Transportation Minister Miri Regev, demanding immediate action, but discovered that the minister was not present. Among the participants: Yair Shtabun (Mayor of Ariel), Yehonatan Kuznits (Head of the Karnei Shomron Council), Shmuel Greenberg (Mayor of Beit Shemesh), Shai Rosenzweig (Head of the Alfei Menashe Council), and Yitzhak Ravitz (Head of the Kiryat Ye'arim Council). Shtabun said that "the residents of Ariel and Judea and Samaria are not abandoned" and Kuznits described the situation as a "complete collapse". Greenberg described a "transportation chaos". In the field, residents describe a difficult reality. Estella Orlansky, 68, from Ariel, said she traveled on four buses to work because lines to Tel Aviv did not arrive. Meir Shaul, a soldier, filed 34 complaints in four months about buses that did not depart. The Ministry of Transport responded that it is handling the deficiencies and that Tnufa is committed to presenting an improvement plan, otherwise a tender for its replacement will be advanced.