The crowded and bustling busses in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak
don't contribute
to most people's equanimity. One definitely has to work on
one's midos
in order not to become irritated or angry, especially if the
driver
is impatient and the bus is jammed with seminary students,
cheder
children and elderly people.
Avner Ovadia, Spokesman of the Transport Ministry, has
prepared a
guide explaining the rights and obligations of bus drivers
and passengers.
We are publishing the guidelines here, for the benefit of the
public:
The Driver's Obligations
A bus driver must be polite and courteous to passengers. He
may not
refuse to board a passenger who is willing to pay the fare.
The driver
has to accept payment in whatever denomination of currency
the passenger
presents, as long as the face value is not more than ten
times the
fare. For example: one may ask for change for a ride costing
5 shekel
from no more than a bill of NIS 50 shekel. The driver is not
obligated
to accept a bill of NIS 100 or 200 in this case.
The driver has the right to refuse to board a passenger whose
clothing
is liable to contaminate or soil the upholstery of the seats
or the
clothing of other passengers. He can also refuse to board a
drunkard
or a person who is smoking a cigarette or a pipe.
A bus driver is prohibited from conversing during the ride
unless
the conversation is connected to the ride or is necessary for
carrying
out his job. When such conversations are necessary, he must
not turn
his head towards his conversation partner while speaking to
him.
The volume of the radio in the bus must not be too high,
neither on
intra-city or inter-city rides. If one of the passengers asks
the
driver to lower the volume of the radio, the driver must
comply.
If a passenger asks the driver to present his identity card
with his
picture and the identity tag of the bus company whose bus he
is driving,
he must comply.
A driver should stop only at bus stops. He can stop at places
where
vehicles are allowed to stop in order to enable the ticket
inspector
to get on or off the bus.
If a handicapped person gets on the bus, the driver is
permitted to
ask those seated on the first two places near the entrance --
designated
for that purpose -- to vacate their seats for the handicapped
person.
If a security officer gets on the bus, the driver has the
right to
ask the passengers seated on the chairs designated for
security officers
to get up for him.
Passengers' Obligations
A passenger may not board a bus or try to board it after the
driver
or the ticket taker has announced that no more passengers
should get
on. Passengers should not talk with the driver during the
trip except
to clarify questions related to the trip itself.
Passengers should not dirty the bus. They should throw their
refuse
only in places designated for that purpose.
A passenger must identify himself to a driver demanding he do
so by
showing him an identifying document, if the driver has a
reason to
suspect that the passenger violated the regulations.
Passengers may take animals on bus rides only if the animals
are small
enough to be held on the passenger's lap or in his arms, and
only
if they are tied to a leash. This does not apply to seeing-
eye dogs.
A passenger may not bring a package onto bus if, due to its
size,
it is liable to disturb passengers, unless he has a special
permit.
A driver has the right to refuse to let a baby carriage on
the bus
if the bus is crowded or if the bus lacks a suitable area for
such
a carriage.
It is forbidden to transport explosives, fuel or other
flammable material
on a bus.
