The plan that will try to recruit thousands of bus drivers – and save public transportation

The director of the Israel National Public Transport Authority, Idan Mualem, presented a national plan to recruit thousands of bus drivers, against the backdrop of a shortage of 5,000 drivers, severe burnout, and rising violence. The plan includes a minimum wage floor of 55.18 shekels per hour, seniority increments, protective partitions on every bus, and recruitment tracks for ultra-Orthodox Jews and discharged soldiers. Its implementation will require an additional budget of about one billion shekels for 2027.

Against the backdrop of a shortage of 5,000 bus drivers in Israel, severe erosion of working conditions, and rising violence against drivers, the director of the Israel National Public Transport Authority, Idan Mualem, presented a broad national plan to recruit thousands of drivers and save public transportation. The plan, formulated with driver organizations and unions, includes an industry-wide minimum wage floor of 55.18 shekels per hour for a beginner driver, a persistence bonus of 6 shekels per hour, a seniority increment of one percent per year from the fifth year, and an excellence and safety reward mechanism of up to 10% of salary. Additionally, the plan proposes installing protective partitions in all buses, connecting distress buttons and cameras to control centers, and defining drivers as public employees to increase penalties against attackers. In terms of recruitment, the plan offers dedicated tracks for the ultra-Orthodox public and discharged soldiers, with a salary horizon of 15,000 to 17,000 shekels per month for soldiers. Implementing the plan will require an additional budget of about one billion shekels for 2027, but the authority claims the investment will generate an economic benefit of more than two billion shekels per year. However, the path to implementation is fraught with political and budgetary obstacles, especially against the backdrop of approaching elections and cuts to the state budget.