Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Demands Bus Validation Reform for Seniors

Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor and Transportation Portfolio Holder Meital Lehavi has issued an official letter to Transportation and Road Safety Minister Miri Regev, demanding an urgent safety solution regarding public transport validation for senior citizens. The letter was also sent to Mayor Ron Huldai and senior transportation officials, though Lehavi has yet to receive a response from Minister Regev.

In her appeal, Lehavi warns that the expansion of the free travel policy for seniors aged 67 and older has created severe safety hazards on municipal buses. Under current regulations, elderly passengers who are exempt from payment are still required to validate their Rav-Kav smart card or mobile application upon boarding. Lehavi notes that this policy forces vulnerable passengers to stand for extended periods while moving from the entrance to a seat, often while drivers pull away before they are securely seated, leading to lost balance and dangerous falls inside the vehicle.

Lehavi emphasizes that the phenomenon has worsened with the integration of electric buses, which feature much faster and more aggressive acceleration from stops. These concerns are supported by alarming data from the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research at the Sheba Medical Center, revealing that 1,520 people were hospitalized in Israel over the past decade due to bus falls, with data tracked through December 2025. Among those hospitalized, 11 percent sustained severe or critical injuries, and seven passengers lost their lives. On average, some 150 passengers are hospitalized every month following bus falls, while countless others are treated on-site or discharged from emergency rooms on the same day.

The statistics indicate that 68 percent of hospitalized victims are over the age of 60, with 73 percent being women. Most injuries involve fractures or sprains, and 16 percent of hospitalized patients required long-term rehabilitation. Lehavi argues that it is unacceptable for the state to grant seniors free travel only to subject them to a physical hazard for statistical registration and financial accounting between the government and bus operators.

Consequently, Lehavi urges the ministry to urgently consider a full validation exemption for senior citizens or establish an alternative mechanism to eliminate standing immediately upon boarding. However, transportation experts note that validation serves as the primary data source for calculating passenger demand and government subsidies for operators. Furthermore, the difficulty of standing and validating while boarding affects not only seniors but also people with disabilities, parents with strollers, and passengers carrying heavy groceries, highlighting the complex systemic challenges of granting sweeping exemptions.