For the past 10 years, there has been a non-formal agreement between the Egged bus company and ultra-Orthodox worshippers returning home from the Western Wall after Shabbat: These passengers may travel on bus No. 1, 2 or 3 for free and come back to pay the fare the next day.

This service is offered to the haredi public, which cannot walk around with money on the Jewish day of rest, as a goodwill gesture on behalf of Egged.

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But according to the company, an inquiry conducted recently revealed that most passengers fail to pay for the Saturday evening bus ride the next day, leading to concerns that the "benefit" would be canceled.

These concerns prompted a Jerusalem resident to turn to the State Comptroller's Office and demand that the free bus rides continue and even be extended to other bus lines across the city.





Haredi worshippers at Western Wall (Photo: AP)

Despite claims that the special arrangement may be canceled, an Egged official assured haredi worshippers that the company would continue letting them travel for free from the Western Wall at the end of Shabbat.

The company issued the following statement in response: "For the past 10 years, we have been upholding an unwritten agreement with Shabbat observing passengers,

under which Egged lets them get on the first service lines leaving the Western Wall plaza upon the end of Shabbat, and the passengers pay for this ride the next day.

"Despite the drop in the number of passengers paying for the Saturday evening ride later on and upholding the agreement, at this stage we have no intention of changing or cancelling the special arrangement."