Egged is making special arrangements to transport thousands
of visitors to R' Shimon Bar Yochai's gravesite in Meron on
Sunday, Lag BaOmer, Secretariat Chairman Gidon Mizrachi told
a group of chareidi reporters at Beit Egged. Logistical
changes are scheduled to begin on Erev Shabbos and continue
through Sunday night.
Mizrachi said that Egged considers chareidi passengers an
important target group and special accommodations should be
made to meet its needs, including changes in conduct at the
management level, the organization level and among drivers.
Egged operates 31 specialized bus lines — both urban
and interurban — in chareidi areas.
On Motzei Shabbos, Egged buses will depart from Jerusalem,
Bnei Brak, Ashdod, Elad and Ramat Vizhnitz in Haifa. Over 800
buses will be made available for these routes. A shuttle
service will take passengers from the parking areas in Meron
designated by the Transportation Ministry up to the grave
site. In Jerusalem the Atirot Mada platform for specialty
lines (opposite Tamir Halls) will be used as a departure
point, allowing Egged to regulate departures and to ensure
short waiting times. Line 982 will travel directly from
Atirot Mada to Meron via Hwy. 6 and Tzomet Chananiya, with no
pickup points along the way.
To accelerate departures, tickets are already available for
purchase from drivers on Egged lines in Jerusalem. On Motzei
Shabbos and Sunday, ticket holders will be eligible for free
fare to the departure point.
"The location of the parking lots in the Meron area causes a
certain degree of difficulty for the buses," said Egged's
northern region manager, Shimon Goldberg, "but this should
not cause passengers undue inconvenience." He is asking
passengers to show patience and understanding of the traffic
conditions and the obligation to maintain the safety of the
thousands of pedestrians crossing the road.
