An NGO has filed a complaint with the Economy Ministry over mass violations of the regulations against public transportation on Shabbat.
According to the Movement for a Jewish State, bus drivers regularly begin driving – either in preparation for an evening shift, or actual driving of their routes – before Shabbat is over.
With summer time (daylight savings time) coming into effect Thursday night in Israel, and the subsequent later exit of Shabbat, the problem will only get worse during the spring and summer months, the group said.
In addition, there was a major problem of bus drivers who finished their routes Friday evening, after Shabbat had already begun, the group said.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Uri Paz, an attorney who works with the group, said that while bus company regulations were clear – that drivers are not to turn on the ignition in their vehicles until a half hour after Shabbat, and that they arrive at their last stop a half hour before Shabbat – many drivers were not following the rules, and the companies were not enforcing them.
Just last week, Paz alleged, at least 60 drivers violated either one or both of the rules.
Besides the drivers, service personnel were also involved in the Shabbat violations. Mechanics, gas station workers, and supervisors were all working overtime Friday or putting in earlier hours Saturday for their own convenience.
In addition, said Paz, the government itself has given a tacit permit for Shabbat violations by bus companies. Recently, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz authorized bus companies serving several Arab towns to run buses on Shabbat.
It all amounts to a significant “depreciation” in the value of Shabbat in Israel’s public sphere, and a gross violation of the status-quo on religious matters, the group claims.
“The Economy Ministry is required to do something to stop this,” Paz said. “By law they have two weeks to respond to our complaint, but we are very hopeful that they will see fit to respond before that, so that more Sabbath violations can be prevented.”
