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

Local leaders from the Samaria and Jerusalem areas arrived at the Transportation Ministry for an unusual protest following severe disruptions in the bus service of the "Tnufa" company. They gathered at the office of Minister Miri Regev, but she was not present. The leaders 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 lines that do not arrive.

Local leaders from the Samaria and Jerusalem areas, where the public transportation company "Tnufa" operates, arrived this morning (Wednesday) at the Transportation Ministry for a joint and unusual protest. The reason: severe disruptions, surprise strikes, and exceptional non-performance rates reaching 5% in the first half of 2026. The local leaders 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), Yonatan Kuznitz (Head of the Karnei Shomron Council), Shmuel Greenberg (Mayor of Beit Shemesh), Shai Rozenzweig (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 Kuznitz described the situation as a "complete collapse." Greenberg described a "transportation chaos." On the ground, residents describe a harsh reality. Estella Orlansky, 68, from Ariel, said she traveled with 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 Transportation Ministry responded that it is handling the deficiencies and that the Tnufa company is committed to presenting an improvement plan, otherwise a tender for its replacement will be advanced.