The parallel universe of Miri Regev

Minister of Transportation Miri Regev took to X this week to announce, “Following the ‘Transportation Justice’ revolution, featuring a 50% discount for the social and geographical periphery, free rides for ages 67+ and discharged soldiers, and discounts for youth, the next goal is free public transportation nationwide.”

“Free public transportation nationwide” sounds like a dream come true—we seem to be moments away from turning into Europe. The problem with this statement is that Transportation Minister Miri Regev lives in some sort of parallel reality.

On paper, the “Transportation Justice” plan looks and sounds flawless. It includes festive declarations almost every day, billboards, and sponsored videos of social media influencers promoting a social revolution that will change the face of public transport in Israel. The reform was marketed to the public as the ultimate breakthrough that would make transportation accessible to the periphery and ease the financial burden on us all. Yet, if Miri Regev were to disconnect from her parallel reality and step out of her air-conditioned office and private vehicle onto the scorching, sweltering bus stations and platforms, she would be hit with the Israeli reality: citizens standing for hours at stations, waiting for a bus that simply doesn’t arrive.

So far, “Transportation Justice” has proven to be nothing more than an expensive marketing and PR campaign, funded by the taxpayer, of course, that completely ignores infrastructure crises, accessibility failures, subpar service, a mismanaged budget, and above all, the citizens of Israel themselves. The plan, as it is marketed to us, promised targeted discounts, such as free rides for seniors over 67 and discounts for young people and residents of the geographical periphery. While the Ministry of Transportation took great pride in these benefits, the truth is that the Minister doesn’t seem to care that under her watch, budgets meant to serve the general public were slashed.

It is time for a reality check regarding the claims about “free public transportation.” In August 2022 (under the Bennett-Lapid government, it is worth noting), the price of a single inner-city ride was just 5.5 NIS. Today? The price of that same ticket is 8 NIS, a whopping 45% increase. Minister Regev calls this the “Transportation Justice Revolution,” because in the parallel reality she inhabits, this is considered a resounding success. But for an average family living in our reality, it is a direct financial blow. So where exactly is the “justice,” and where is the Minister’s “revolution”?

And just let’s be clear here: there is no such thing as “transportation justice” without speaking of the most vulnerable members of society. Individuals with disabilities in Israel continue to experience public transportation as a daily obstacle course—we are still far away from justice here, too. Besides, discounts are meaningless if the bus fails to show up, or when it sits stuck for hours in traffic. Meanwhile, the maddening gridlock of our roads—a plague the transportation minister seems content to ignore—only continues to worsen. Are citizens really going to give up their private car for a bus that comes once an hour, runs thirty minutes late, and takes a meandering route, even if that ride is completely free? The “Transportation Justice” reform is a textbook case of PR-driven policy and election-season populism, perfectly tailored for social media campaigns and empty promises easily thrown in every direction.

There is also a tendency to forget that Miri Regev is not just the Minister of Transportation, she is the Minister of Transportation and Road Safety. It is convenient for her to sweep this under the rug and avoid talking about road safety, as she doesn’t want to be associated with traffic accidents. However, it must be noted that under her tenure, the carnage on the roads, and yes, it is carnage, there is no other way to define it, has reached its deadliest peak in the last 20 years.

Ask yourselves: Where is Miri Regev’s “Transportation Justice” when a bus fare jumps to 8 NIS? Where is the “Transportation Justice” when passengers wait hours for a bus that sometimes drives right past them without stopping? Where is the “Transportation Justice” when disabled individuals still face so many problems? Where is the “Transportation Justice” when drivers sit for hours in gridlock at all times of the day? And where is the “Transportation Justice” when drivers are terrified to get on the road because lawlessness rules Israel’s highways and the death toll is skyrocketing?

In Miri Regev’s parallel reality, public transportation may already be free, but in the reality of the Israeli public, we will continue to pay a heavy price.