Transport Authority Excludes Egged From Hashmonaim Bus Tender

Israel's Public Transport Authority has excluded Egged from the forthcoming Hashmonaim bus-cluster tender, according to a decision letter quoted in published reporting. The contract covers routes around Modi'in, Modi'in Illit, Lod, Ramla and Shoham, with an estimated 26 million vehicle-kilometers annually and a value of NIS 5.5 billion to 7.5 billion over 10 to 12 years. The authority said Egged could win only 20 million additional kilometers under a 35-million-kilometer cap for new awards through 2029, after its western Jerusalem win. It rejected Egged's request to raise the cap to 46.4 million kilometers and its proposal to sell routes if it won.