Egged to Pay Reservist NIS 30,000 After Removal From Public Bus

Egged agreed to pay NIS 30,000 to a reservist who said he was told to leave a public bus while traveling to his base in uniform. The settlement, signed last week, was disclosed on Sunday, November 8. The passenger identified the service as route 845 in Jerusalem and said the incident took place on Memorial Day. According to the reservist, the driver initially crossed his hands in an X gesture when he tried to board. He entered through the rear door and found Haredi schoolgirls aboard. He said students told him the bus was their private school transport and asked him to leave, and that the driver also indicated that he should get off. The passenger contacted the Transportation Ministry, Egged and the Israel Religious Action Center. The center represented him in the settlement process. Alongside the compensation, Egged undertook to increase employee awareness of respectful treatment and the prevention of discrimination based on sex. The agreement concerns the company's treatment of passengers on its public services. “Egged's routes are open to the entire public, without discrimination,” the company said in its response. Egged described the incident as serious and inconsistent with its values and procedures. It said it had examined what happened, clarified the procedures with all its drivers and regretted the incident.