Ministry of Transport Returns Responsibility for Bus Stop Shelters to Local Authorities
The Ministry of Transport has canceled its centralized tender for bus stop shelters, shifting responsibility to local authorities. This policy change aims to better address unique municipal requirements.
After nearly two years of repeated delays, the Ministry of Transport has canceled the tender for the construction of shelters at bus stops and returned the responsibility to local authorities. The decision follows nine years of a centralized model that proved inconsistent with the specific needs and unique characteristics of each municipality.
In 2018, during the tenure of Israel Katz as Minister of Transport, the ministry introduced a procedure where it took direct responsibility for installing shelters via an external supplier. The goal was to bridge gaps between neighborhoods after it was discovered that over 6,000 stops nationwide lacked shading. However, the model faced significant flaws. The allocation was often arbitrary, failing to account for physical conditions or engineering constraints at specific sites. Suppliers frequently installed uniform configurations without considering local urban design.
Despite these issues, in August 2024, the Ministry of Transport published a new tender to find a replacement franchisee. The process dragged on for nearly two years, during which the existing contract was extended without a tender. The Accountant General had authorized the construction of up to 1,000 additional shelters to mitigate the delay, but the tender was ultimately canceled this month as part of a broader policy shift.
Under the new procedure, each authority must submit a separate request and receive approval from the Ministry of Transport for every shelter. The ministry will allocate 18,000 shekels for a narrow four-meter shelter, 20,000 shekels for a standard four-meter shelter, and 38,000 shekels for an eight-meter shelter. However, additional costs, including electricity connections and ongoing maintenance, will not be state-funded and will be borne by the local authorities.
"The ministry has decided to transfer the procurement and installation activity of waiting shelters to the direct responsibility of the local authorities. The transfer is intended to allow for maximum adaptation of the waiting shelters to the unique municipal needs of each authority and to promote a faster and more effective deployment of the shelters in the field," the ministry stated.
