Transportation

In Boston, when you get on a bus, you have to either beep the CharlieCard or get a ticket to scan before entering the bus. You enter in, well, the front of the bus and you pay. For the train, you buy a ticket before going through the turnstiles. The common thread between these modes of transportation is that they wait for you to sit down (or to hold onto something before moving).

The Light Rail--
You're supposed to by a ticket or refill the "Rav Kav" before boarding the train. When the train first started running in September it was free. They said it would be free for a week. But they couldn't figure out how to get the beepers on the train to work. So the train was free until mid-December. However there were many people who would sneak onto the train without paying and so they put officials on the train to check if you paid for your ride or not.

However, if I'm riding a train, I expect to be taken from point A to point B with only the necessary stops. It should not take me just as long to walk as it does to take the train. But half the time that's what I do anyway because I would rather walk for 45 minutes than ride for 20 mintues in a sweaty sandwich of people. The train, at least at first, arrives every 12 minutes. If you're lucky. I understand that there is traffic, but the point of the train was that it is faster than the busses because it's on its own railway. But it does not have the right of way so, during traffic hours, the train stops at every single light. In addition, there have been multiple times when I have taken the train and it has stopped for more than the allotted time for no apparent reason. Despite all these complaints, it's still faster than the bus.

The Bus--
A single ride around the city costs 6.20 shekels. But since it's rare that anyone has agurot (like pennies), most people do not give the exact change. This means that the driver has to give them change thus a line ensues to get on the bus. If you are one of the last people to get on, you're in trouble. The driver will go as soon as everyone fits. The only thing to hang onto during a rush hour mass is that old religious woman in front of you that is haggling the bus driver on whether or not she can receive the senior discount.

The bus is a good use of transportation. If there's no traffic and if you know where you're going. Otherwise you're screwed. During traffic, a pedestrain moves faster. So, while the bus might be ideal after a long day's work, in reality walking towards your destination is a better option. Example: Last year when I lived on Har Hatzofim, it took fifteen minutes in the morning to ride the bus to work. In the afternoon, it would take over an hour.

The Sherut (aka the shared taxi)--
The Sherut is generally used instead of the bus to get to different cities in Israel. The car can hold ten people plus the driver. Because this isn't a mode that requires tickets, the cab needs to be full in order to go. Therefore, I usually have to wait for the cab to fill. Generally, I have taken the sherut on a Friday and I have never had to wait more than five minutes for the cab to fill. When I came home from Tel Aviv on Saturday, I thought I would have to wait longer for the cab to fill because it was Shabbat. However, the cab was filled in a matter of seconds. I like this mode of transportation because, although it's few shekels more, it reduces the hassel of going through the security of the central bus station.

The etiquette of the sherut is important. You don't pay as soon as you get on, although that is the logical thing to do. The etiquette allows you to sit down and get settled before handing the money to the person in front of you to hand to the driver. Most drivers are nice and if asked, will let you know where to get off. Others are like the bus drivers and know only central bus station to central bus station. The one thing to know though, is that if you want to get off at an exact point, you don't ask at the point or they will drive way beyond to a place they can stop. If you want to get off at an exact point, you ask as soon as it's in view.

Otherwise, you'll end up on the other side of the city.