Israel Opens Free Intercity Transit for Vote

Israel Railways and intercity bus operators are providing free transportation to all passengers on Tuesday, Election Day for the 26th Knesset. The Central Elections Committee is funding the initiative, which is estimated to cost 3.5 million shekels. The service began at 8 p.m. on Monday and runs until public transit concludes Tuesday night.

The free pass covers approximately 660 intercity bus routes longer than 15 kilometers. This represents an increase from the 600 routes covered during the 2022 elections. All Israel Railways lines are also included in the free travel arrangement. Passengers do not need to present identification or validate Rav-Kav cards to board eligible buses.

Rail passengers must obtain a special paper ticket from station counters or machines to travel free. They should avoid using tickets or passes loaded onto Rav-Kav cards or mobile apps to prevent automatic charges. City buses, light rail, the Metronit bus rapid transit system, and Haifa's Carmelit underground railway continue to charge regular fares.

Israel Railways is increasing capacity on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv corridor to handle expected demand. Three trains per hour will run in each direction between Yitzhak Navon Station and Tel Aviv from noon until 8 p.m. Tuesday. This is one additional train per hour compared to the usual schedule. Some of these extra services will start or end at Tel Aviv's HaHagana Station.

Police have restricted passenger numbers on trains traveling to and from Jerusalem. Riders must obtain a free personal travel voucher in advance through the Israel Railways website. Railway staff will enforce this requirement to manage congestion. For buses, passengers can verify route eligibility by calling the Transportation Ministry hotline at *8787.

Travel to and from Eilat follows different rules. Free travel on these routes requires an eligibility check based on the passenger's registered residential address. Passengers must register in advance through Egged's information center at *2800. The previous record for rail ridership was set during the 2022 elections, when daily passengers rose from 249,146 to 331,706. Officials expect that record to fall on Tuesday.

The Transportation Ministry and Israel Railways are directing passengers to check updated schedules via their websites, apps, or the *5770 hotline. The free transit program is managed through the Transportation Ministry. All intercity bus routes over 15 kilometers are part of the 660-route network receiving the subsidy.