New and Controversial Public Transportation on the Sabbath

Ramat Gan’s mayor, Carmel Shama-Hacohen is now revealing plans for a weekend shuttle service, called the Red Line. Ramat Gan is a suburb of Tel Aviv. The bus will travel along the Tel Aviv light rail route during Shabbat in an effort to address the lack of public transportation on this day. Observant Jews do not travel on the sabbath day and now that Tel Aviv has a new light rail train system, many people who don’t observe the faith are disturbed that they won’t be able to make use of it on Saturday. For so many people who want to head to the beach or meet a friend on Saturday, not having transportation available can be an issue. The shuttle will connect Ramat Gan to Jaffa, catering to the secular population, since Jaffa many Arab residents and typically more restaurants and pubs are open on Saturday in that area. The announcement comes just ahead of municipal elections where the mayor seeks to maintain his seat. The announcement of the bus system comes just days after Tel Aviv inaugurated its first ever functioning light rail. The Red Line is just one of three lines that will service the center of Israel. Two existing shuttle lines already allow Ramat Gan residents to travel to Tel Aviv on Shabbat. The whole issue of transportation is constantly under debate as some people feel it dilutes the Jewish essense of the state, while others say they should be able to live how they choose to live, without having religion forced upon them.