The goal - to avoid fines: the suspicions against public transportation companies

The Ministry of Transportation announced an in-depth investigation into the conduct of bus companies, following accumulated passenger complaints and suspicions of duplicate scans and dummy inspections. The goal: avoiding fines due to fear of failing to meet tender requirements.

The Ministry of Transportation announced the opening of an in-depth investigation into the conduct of public transportation companies in Israel, following passenger complaints that have accumulated at the ministry. In a letter sent by the Director General of the National Public Transportation Authority, Idan Moalem, to the CEOs of the operating companies, a flawed reporting method in the inspection and validation systems was revealed. According to the letter, recurring cases were identified of the same ticket being scanned repeatedly within seconds by the same inspector, alongside consecutive checks of the same passenger by multiple inspectors at minimal time intervals. Moalem warned that the ministry would begin conducting in-depth checks and ongoing computerized verification, and that duplicate samples would be disqualified. The background to this conduct, according to industry sources, lies in the tender system that sets rigid targets for inspection volumes, with non-compliance leading to fines. The Public Transportation Forum of civil society organizations welcomed the move but emphasized that it is a symptom of a broader problem, and that the current tender system has not proven itself and requires urgent change.