Preferring to stand in traffic: only 16% of Israelis get to work by public transport
Despite improvements in public transport, CBS data show that over the last decade, Israelis have been abandoning its use in favor of private vehicles. Where are people more satisfied with the light rail — Gush Dan or Jerusalem, how many Israelis used a bus in the last year — and who enjoys broad trust from users | These are the details
Traffic jams on Israel's roads are getting worse, but data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that citizens prefer to continue standing in traffic in their private vehicles rather than using public transport. Although public transport has expanded significantly over the last decade, new heavy rail lines have been opened, and light rail projects have been launched, the expectation of an increase in usage has met with the opposite reality.
New data published today, Wednesday, by the CBS, from the 2025 Social Survey, revealed that the rate of employed persons aged 20 and over who get to their workplace using public transport has dropped to only 16% (12% by bus or shared taxi and 3.5% by train) compared to 20% a decade ago. At the same time, the rate of those using a private or commercial vehicle to get to work climbed to 62% compared to 58% a decade ago.
Regional breakdown
The abandonment of public transport on the way to work is particularly prominent in the Jerusalem District, where a drop from 30% to 23% was recorded within a decade, and in the Central District, where a sharp decline from 19% to 12% was recorded. In the Tel Aviv District, 22% of workers currently arrive by public transport compared to 26% in the past, in the Haifa District a decline from 21% to 18% was recorded, while in the Northern District it is only 8.1% and in the Judea and Samaria area it is at a particularly low rate. The remaining employed (22%) get to work by organized transport, bicycle, scooter, on foot, or work from home.
From the survey, in which 6,452 respondents aged 20 and over were interviewed — representing about 6.3 million residents, a complex picture emerged regarding satisfaction with the various means of transport in Israel.
Bus system performance
The bus system, which constitutes the main transport arm in the country, is experiencing a continuous decline in the volume of use. Today, 50% of the public (about 3.2 million people) traveled by bus in the last year compared to 57% a decade ago. Usage has dropped in almost all age groups, with the rate among young people aged 20-24 dropping from 80% to 73%. Only 15% of the population travel by bus every day or almost every day compared to about 19% in the past.
Regarding the assessment of bus performance, 52% of the general public assess it positively, while 31% assess it negatively. In a breakdown by large cities, in Haifa (66%), Jerusalem (65%), Bnei Brak (64%), and Be'er Sheva (60%) a relatively high positive assessment was recorded, while in Tel Aviv-Yafo (51%), Petah Tikva (49%), and Ashdod (46%) the rates are much lower.
One of the most painful points for passengers is the frequency of intercity lines, with only 31% of the general public satisfied with it. In Tel Aviv-Yafo it is only 29%, in Petah Tikva 30%, in Haifa and Ashdod 34% compared to 50% in Bnei Brak and 38% in Jerusalem.
Light rail satisfaction
The light rail data, in cities where it operates, showed deep gaps between the capital and the Tel Aviv metropolis. At the national level, 43% of residents in cities where a light rail operates reported that it meets their needs, while 15% indicated that it does not meet their needs and 42% do not use it or do not know. In Jerusalem, half of the residents (50%) testify that the light rail meets their needs. In contrast, in Tel Aviv-Yafo, only 28% of residents indicated that it meets their needs, while 47% of the city's residents do not use it at all and another 21% indicated that it does not meet their needs.
Israel Railways and digital services
Unlike the frustration with buses, Israel Railways presents a positive trend and enjoys broad trust from users. 44% of those aged 20 and over (about 2.8 million people) used the train in the last year, an increase compared to 39% a decade ago. About 66% of the general public assess the performance of Israel Railways positively, an assessment that is considered an improvement compared to 58% a decade ago.
In the field of public transport digital services, such as schedules and online payment, half of the public report that the services meet their needs. However, a significant digital gap was revealed: while among those aged 20-49, 57% use the services and their needs are met, among those aged 65 and over, 62% reported that online services are not familiar to them or are not relevant to them.
