Free Travel Rules, Vouchers and Added Trains for Israel Election Day
The Central Elections Committee is funding free intercity travel for the 26th Knesset vote, with boarding rules that vary by mode of transport.
By Leila Farouk ·
Intercity buses and trains across Israel are free of charge starting at 8 p.m. Monday and running until service ends Tuesday night, when polls close for the 26th Knesset election. The offer applies to all passengers, including those not eligible to vote. The Central Elections Committee is paying for the arrangement through the Transportation Ministry at an estimated cost of NIS 3.5 million.
The program covers roughly 660 intercity bus routes longer than 15 kilometers, up from 600 routes during the 2022 elections. All Israel Railways lines are included. City buses, light rail, the Metronit bus rapid transit system and Haifa's Carmelit underground railway continue to charge regular fares. Passengers can check whether a specific intercity route qualifies by calling the Transportation Ministry hotline at *8787.
Boarding procedures differ between buses and trains. On eligible intercity buses, riders board without showing identification, taking a ticket or validating a Rav-Kav card. On Israel Railways, passengers must obtain a paper ticket from a station counter or machine; tickets and passes loaded on Rav-Kav cards or transportation apps should not be used on these services to avoid charges.
Israel Railways will run three trains per hour in each direction between Jerusalem's Yitzhak Navon Station and Tel Aviv from noon until 8 p.m. Tuesday, replacing the usual two. Some added services will begin or end at Tel Aviv's HaHagana Station. Police have limited passenger numbers for travel to and from Jerusalem, so riders must obtain a free personal travel voucher in advance through the Israel Railways website for their selected train. Railway staff will enforce the requirement.
Travel to and from Eilat follows separate conditions. Free rides on those routes depend on an eligibility check tied to a passenger's registered residential address and advance registration through Egged's information center at *2800. During the November 1, 2022 election for the 25th Knesset, Israel Railways carried 331,706 passengers on Election Day, up from a typical weekday count of 249,146, a rise of about 33%. Updated schedules and service changes are posted on the Israel Railways website, its official app, the *5770 hotline and its official WhatsApp channel.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
