Rav Kav reform in West Bank comes with a price, replaces 50% discount
The Rav Kav reform means that using the card in the West Bank will only give users the standard 25% discount off the full fare, instead of the 50% discount granted to those who don't use a Rav Kav.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFAn Egged bus in front of the Jerusalem Central Bus Station(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The new Rav Kav transportation card reform in the West Bank, came with a price as Rav Kav users cannot benefit from the standard 50% discount for travel in the area, according to Israeli business daily Calcalist.The Rav Kav reform initiated by Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich last month took effect on Wednesday, allowing travelers over the Green Line to charge up the card with money, known as stored value, and receive a bonus amount of 25% of the amount they load onto the card. Travelers can then use the card to pay for bus, train and light rail fares and recharge the card as necessary. The card also gives public transportation users a free transfer between inner city bus lines within 90-minutes of paying a fare.Up until now, the stored value could not be used in Judea and Samaria, due to the already discounted fare in the region and residents had to pay for transfers between inner city buses.The Rav Kav reform means that using the card in the West Bank will only give users the standard 25% discount off the full fare, instead of the 50% discount granted to those who don't use a Rav Kav.The Ministry of Transportation called the move "another step in normalizing Judea and Samaria."Rav Kav use with multiple bus companies in east Jerusalem was suspended by the Ministry of Transportation at about the same time that the decision was made to allow use of the card in the West Bank, according to Calcalist. The ability to use the Rav Kav card in east Jerusalem should return within about a year."The stored value on the Rav Kav card is the most basic product that the Ministry of Transportation gives to public transport users and we were not ready to allow a situation in which settlers in Judea and Samaria are 'stepsons,'" said Smotrich in December.
