The price of a ride on the light rail train in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv will rise on February 25 from six shekels for a single trip to eight shekels. The price hike was originally scheduled to take effect in July 2024 , but was delayed due to intervention by the Transportation Ministry. The Transportation Ministry noted that the rise is due to the periodic update required by law, due to the rise in operating costs and the light rail's factors of production. Related articles: US embassy in Israel restricts public transit use for employees Dan Region to implement new congestion charges Jerusalem light rail service suspended through Thursday Jerusalem light rail to suspend service for five days This is the first price hike in a series which will affect all of Israel's public transportation. At the end of April, an additional, significant, price ride is expected, which will affect both buses and trains and will raise the price by dozens of percentage points. The cost of monthly and yearly passes are also expected to rise significantly. The cost for a bus ride is expected to rise by two shekel per trip. The rise stems from an agreement between Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Under the agreement, Smotrich agreed not to cut hundreds of millions of shekels from the Transportation Ministry budget, in exchange for the Transportation Ministry agreeing to raise costs for the consumer.
