As there is not really any such thing as a private bus, as the public transportation industry is controlled by the government and Egged has a near monopoly, though it has shrunk in recent years with other bus companies being awarded tenders in some parts of the country. Private bus lines are unlicensed and illegal. Obviously tour buses are ok and can get licenses as such, but they cannot operate a real bus line. There are some private bus lines, usually in various forms of legal trouble - they are private buses that generally operate under a tour bus license, and try to circumvent the legal methods of passenger fees by charging memberships and the like.
The Shabus is a private bus, but it is not really a bus line. It is private tenders set up in the form of a cooperative, vans that drive around and pick people up along a route.
NRG reports that this past Shabbos was the official launch of the Shabus in Jerusalem.
The Shabus is operating to connect the entertainment centers with various neighborhoods; Pisgat Zeev, French Hill, Downtown, German Colony, Arnona, Talpiot, Kiryat Yovel, Bet Hakerem and Rehavia.
In its first night of operation, about 100 people rode the Shabus lines - 3 minibuses between 10pm and 2am.
The Shabus is registered as a Palestinian transport company, with the drivers being Arabs, in addition to charging membership subscription fees. The website, http://www.shabus.co.il/ , is registered to a Laura Wharton in Bet Hakerem - a name that does not sound particularly Palestinian, in a neighborhood that is not particularly Palestinian.
They are going to need to boost up those numbers a lot if they plan on staying viable. From a legal perspective they probably will be able to survive, considering the way they operate, while it is the financials that will seal the fate of the Shabus to survive or to wither.
The chilul shabbos is sad and disturbing, but at least it is being done privately, along with other private chilul shabbos that is already happening, rather than in some official form approved of by the authorities.
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