The Economy Committee today discussed a reform of fare in public transportation and the fear of rising prices and harm to the periphery, as well as a proposal for an order on the issue submitted by MK Uriel Bosso (Shas).
Committee Chairman Bitton said at the outset that a cloud was hovering over tariffs and payments for public transport. We did not receive an orderly plan from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transportation, some of the rumors are worrying. The reform will not encourage public transport travel because the cost will be high and hurt the weakest people. We are in a difficult period of cost of living and it is against the public interest of the government. We asked for a written reference and were told that they are sitting some days on the reform and they can not give final things. We as the Knesset are warning at the gate about this issue.
The discussion revolves around the economic plan for 2021-2022 entitled “Streamlining the bus fare system and correcting historical distortions”, according to which the Ministries of Finance and Transportation propose to abolish the public value consideration for canceling historical benefit of public transport tickets and thus increase the cost of public transport At the same time cancel discounts on many tickets from different parts of the country.
MK Bosso He noted that this is a program that will directly harm the residents of the periphery and especially the traveling public, which according to a document from the Knesset’s Research and Information Center, the majority of those who travel more than 50% are women. When the goal is one, increase revenue from public transportation by raising bus fares. MK Moshe Abutbul He added: “Once again we see contempt from the Ministry of Transport that does not address many issues in the proposed reform. This increase in prices will drive users away from public transportation. There are questions we have not received answers like what are the estimates and how will this affect the rate of users of public transport passengers? And some passengers do not use these payment apps. “
MK Katie Sheetrit: “This plan will take effect on April 1. I thought it was a lie and a joke, like we used to be when we were kids. In the last decade there has never been such a rise in public transport. This is a 9% increase in price. And for those who enjoy the accumulated value, this is a 25% increase in price. ” MK Shlomo Qarai He noted that in his opinion they hid this reform from the public and the Knesset. “Lieberman and Michaeli allow themselves to joke at the expense of the public on April 1. “I do not remember that there is such a broad reform that the Knesset does not accept data on,” he said.
MK Uri Maklev Referring to the technology customer in the reform, he said: “We are trying to channel the public to travel by public transport. When trying to transfer the use of the app instead of the multi-line, the buyer has it here because the multi-line does not have a technological infrastructure yet. There are significant tariff differences between the app and Rav Kav. ”
The representative of the Knesset Research and Information Center, who wrote a document on the subject, Rinat Benita, noted: “We did not receive any information about the penetration rate of the apps. It is assumed that the majority of the public using public transport has not switched to using paid apps. And we see from our review there is no way to know what would be more convenient and worth using in terms of tariff. In addition, we do not know in advance what the percentage of the discount will be compared to the distance traveled, especially in the peripheral localities and in Judea and Samaria. We contacted the Public Transportation Authority regarding the applicability of the reform and regarding the change in the various tariffs and their impact on occasional occasional users, and we did not receive an answer and definition. The Knesset law authorizes us to receive information similar to the State Comptroller, and in this case we did not receive the information we requested. “
During the debate, Knesset members lamented that the Ministry of Transportation sent only the Minister’s professional advisor and not the professionals for the debate. In response, the chairman of the committee, Bitton, said that he intends to insist after the recess on the matter of the cheapness of the ministries and their representatives who come to appear before the committee.
A professional adviser to the Minister of Transportation, Ehud Uziel, explained that the issue of public transportation is at the top of the Minister’s priorities and this is reflected in the planned investments that the ministry has allocated for the benefit of public transportation. According to him, today there is no uniformity in fares, no regulated method and no certainty about the viability of the trip. And the question at the core of the reform was how to make the trip worthwhile, clearer and more affordable.
Chairman Bitton asked, “Will the tariffs become more expensive, due to the change in the method or due to a natural increase? If we are two weeks before the validity of the reform why parts of it why are not presented to us. I suppose all this reform is under the authority of only a minister? Where and when will the details of the reform be brought to the examination of the Economy and Knesset Committee. ” Uziel replied: “There was supposed to be a general increase of almost 9%. We have stopped the rise in prices and we are working with the Ministry of Finance to change the method in order to minimize the rise in prices and shift the assumptions into the reform. ” Regarding the accumulated value, he estimated that it is NIS 200 million, and said: “We want to reward those who use public transportation more and occasional passengers. For the past six months we have heard from the public and we have met with representatives of public transport. The procedure is to have a prices committee for the ministries of finance and transportation, and the committee formulates its recommendation to the ministers. ” In response, Chairman Bitton said: “I understand that there is no real public participation here, it is only a decision of the ministers in the end.”
Transportation Coordinator in the Budget Division at the Ministry of Finance, Daniel Meltzer, Stressed that there is an increase in the index and linkage of tariffs due to rising prices of fuels. According to him, the ministers postponed this increase from February and asked to examine a change in the method of payment in public transport. Chairman Bitton asked to know how much of the public transportation budget would go to reduce its use and encourage its use, and the waiter replied: “We still do not know.”
MK Yaakov Margi said: “What emerged from today’s debate is that there are no answers to such a broad reform. I call for the reform not to be applied until it is presented to the Economics Committee, and to receive answers as to which unprofitable lines will be abolished or is there an intention to reduce their frequency? Is there an intention to deepen investment in public transportation in the center at the expense of the periphery? ”.
Committee Chairman Bitton concluded: “We do not want to think that the timing for the entry of such a reform is during a recess when the Knesset cannot discuss it. I expect the Minister of Transport to postpone the reform until June when the Economics and Public Comments Committee will examine. The Minister of Transport has declared that there is nothing more important to her than public transport. It has managed to bring in billions to invest in buses and infrastructure but we have not received an answer as to how much will be invested in encouraging the use of public transport. We want to present to the committee investments in the five-year plan to reduce public transportation, along with investments in public transportation infrastructure. “