Kedumim Council Head Demands Revocation of 75% Transit Service Waiver
Kedumim council head Ouziel Vatik demands the transport ministry revoke a waiver allowing Tnufa to run 75% service, warning that Dan's acquisition of the company won't suffice without full operational requirements.
Ouziel Vatik, head of the Kedumim local council, has called on the Ministry of Transportation to immediately revoke a waiver that reportedly permits the Tnufa transport company to operate only 75% of public transit services in the region. In a letter sent earlier this week to Ministry Director-General Moshe Ben Zaken, Vatik warned that even the company's recent acquisition by Dan will not bring the desired improvement as long as the ministry continues to condone partial service operation.
"There is and will be no satisfactory explanation for systemic negligence that takes daily route cancellations for granted," Vatik wrote. According to him, the special dispensation granted to the company effectively legitimizes trip cancellations as pre-approved service rather than holding the operator accountable to its full commitments toward passengers.
Vatik urged the ministry director-general to exercise his authority, cancel the waiver, and mandate 100% operational service instead. "It is unthinkable to officially and practically institutionalize negligent service," he wrote, accusing the ministry of endorsing a situation where a substantial portion of public transport is withheld from the outset.
The appeal follows the finalization of an agreement for Dan to acquire full ownership of Tnufa for approximately 150 million shekels. While Vatik welcomed the buyout and expressed hope that the change in ownership would improve services, he stressed that replacing the operator is insufficient without altering the baseline requirements set by the Ministry of Transportation.
"The residents of Kedumim and Samaria are not second-class citizens, and there is no justification to discriminate against them compared to any other resident in the country," Vatik wrote. He demanded full service guarantees for the region, "as they deserve by any legal, moral, and logical standard." Copies of the letter were also sent to Minister of Transportation Miri Regev and the head of the National Public Transportation Authority.
