Riding the Bus

Although almost everyone owns a car in Haifa, the bus routes are extensive enough so that no one needs a car.  We decided not to purchase a car, at least not until we settle in and actually need one.  Seeing how people drive here, we prefer taking the bus -- sort of.

If you want a bus pass, you need your ID card and can get one for free.  The bus pass has your picture on it, and you can "fill it up" by giving cash to the bus driver.  The bus driver carries thousands of shekels in cash and will make change, if necessary, from a 200 shekel bill for a 6 shekel fare.  A month's worth of unlimited riding for the city of Haifa -- suburbs not included -- costs 235 shekels or about $65.  The month begins on the first, not on the day of purchase; therefore you should purchase the month's pass the first day or two of the month otherwise you'll pay for a whole month but won't get a whole month of benefit.  It's a good thing Israel uses the Gregorian calendar and not the Jewish calendar or things would get really confusing.

Overall, the bus drivers are terrible.  It's almost like they don't want to stop and pick up passengers.  The other day we had to flag down bus #19.  Another bus in front of #19 had stopped at the bus stop to pick up and let off passengers, like all buses who go down that street are supposed to do.  The bus driver of #19 wanted to go around the stopped bus and completely by-pass the bus stop altogether.  So we ran after the #19 and the driver stopped for us.  When I got on, the driver swore at me in Hebrew.

Bus drivers zoom forward before everyone has even paid and if you're not sitting you're flung to the back of the bus.  They come to screeching halts thrusting passengers forward.  Haifa is built along a mountain (or hill, if you happen to be from Colorado), and the roads are windy and some even have hairpin curves.  Many of these drivers take the turns and curves like they are riding a motorcycle.  There have been times we thought the bus might tip over.  If you get a seat, riding the bus isn't too bad -- but standing -- you need to brace yourself and hold on for dear life.

When going around curves and corners in the bus, I try to determine which would be better if the bus tips over.  Would it be better to be on the side that hits the ground first, thus a shorter fall, but with the possibility of other passengers falling on top of you?  Or would it be better to be on the side furthest from the ground where falling on other passengers might break some of the fall?

Anyway, Israeli soldiers ride the bus for free.  After graduation from high school all Israeli's must serve in the army, except for Arabs and Jews of certain fundamentalist sects.  What's strange to see is an Ethiopian Jew in a military uniform wearing a kippah.  Most of the kids have military uniforms the color of desert sand.  I've seen other uniforms that are a sickly sort of khaki green, and grey uniforms.  I don't know if the color indicates a branch of the military or another sort of status.  At any rate, the girl wearing the grey uniform was waiting to get on the bus and slinging around an Uzi as casually as a woman's handbag.  That's something you don't see in the USA.