Shea Levin — text status

Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi has asked Transportation Minister Miri Regev to exempt passengers aged 67 and older from validating their free bus rides, warning that the requirement leaves elderly riders standing as buses begin moving and pull away. Lehavi, who also sent the letter to Mayor Ron Huldai, said the risk is growing with electric buses, whose stronger acceleration makes for sharper starts. Figures from the Gertner Institute recorded 1,520 hospitalizations after falls inside buses over a decade, including seven deaths, with 68% of those hurt over age 60.