Five buses equipped with a protection system against suicide
bombers were brought into use after being officially unveiled
by the Transportation Minister and the heads of Egged and
Dan. Three were handed over to Dan and two to Egged of
Jerusalem.
A chilling sight lay in store at the Egged parking lot where
the ceremony was held: two buses bearing the designation
"Line 14 -- Givat Beit Hakerem." Yossi Chachkes, director of
Egged Jerusalem, said the line was selected randomly before
the bombing because it is one of the city's central routes.
"We were only about one day too late," said Traffic Minister
Avigdor Liberman.
Developed by the Military Industries, the $45,000 system
features a variety of measures to prevent terrorists carrying
explosives from boarding. The complex measures will also make
it harder for passengers to board and alight, increasing
travel times.
At the entrance to the bus is a turnstile with metal
detectors hidden inside the bars, which unlock only when a
green light appears before the driver. This procedure demands
much patience and understanding on the part of passengers
waiting to board. Strollers and wheelchairs will be hard to
bring aboard and even harder to take off the bus. The one-
way, leather-covered turnstile at the backdoor does not allow
entry and makes exiting with an open stroller impossible. The
system includes a speaker to allow communication between the
driver and the passengers waiting in line.
The first five buses provided to Dan and Egged are
experimental buses. During the coming weeks, passengers'
responses and operating efficiency will be evaluated before a
decision is made to equip the majority of public buses with
such systems. At the unveiling ceremony, Military Industries
Chairman Aryeh Mizrachi said the company will continue to
develop and perfect protection devices and promised it would
be able to equip most buses within a short period of time. He
also mentioned protective measures for airplanes.
Liberman was cautious in his remarks, admitting that no
system can provide 100 percent protection. "Only if we go
from defensiveness to offensiveness will we be able to stop
the terrorists," he said without explicating. The Egged
Secretariat Chairman and the Dan Chairman Mr. Yehuda Brown
also hailed the experimental system.
