Passenger Safety Is Not Negotiable: Warning Strike in Public Transport in Samaria

More than 400 drivers of the 'Tenufa' company in Samaria and the Jerusalem Corridor launched a 5-hour warning strike, protesting severe maintenance deficiencies in buses and economic uncertainty. The workers' committee warns of harm to passenger safety. Local leaders in Samaria demand cancellation of the tender and immediate intervention by the Ministry of Transport.

More than 400 drivers of the 'Tenufa' company, operating in the Samaria region and the Jerusalem Corridor, launched a 5-hour warning strike today (Monday, July 27, 2026) between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM. The strike protests severe maintenance deficiencies in buses and economic uncertainty, including concerns over salary payments and social benefits. The workers' committee, backed by the National Labor Federation and the Public Transport Drivers' Organization, claims that poor maintenance endangers the safety of drivers and passengers. Chairman of the Public Transport Drivers' Organization, Israel Ganon, stated that 'passenger safety and workers' rights are not negotiable.' Local leaders in Samaria, including Head of the Kedumim Council Uziel Vatik and Mayor of Ariel Yair Shtabon, demand cancellation of the tender with Tenufa and emergency intervention by the Ministry of Transport. Vatik noted that residents suffer from route cancellations and vehicles in poor maintenance condition, and that appeals to the Ministry of Transport over nearly two years have gone unanswered.