The share of Israelis commuting to work by public transportation has fallen over the past decade despite major investments in rail and light rail systems, while reliance on private vehicles has increased, according to new government data released Wednesday.
Figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics’ 2025 Social Survey show that just 16% of employed Israelis age 20 and older commute by public transportation, down from 20% about a decade ago. About 12% travel by bus or shared taxi and 3.5% by train.
Meanwhile, 62% commute by private car or commercial vehicle, up from 58% a decade earlier. The trend comes despite a significant expansion of Israel’s public transportation network over the period, including new heavy rail routes and light rail projects, and as traffic congestion on the country’s roads has worsened.
Be'er Sheva riders get there on time, Tel Aviv struggles with frequency
The decline in public transportation use for commuting was particularly pronounced in the Jerusalem District, where the share fell from 30% to 23% over the decade, and in the Central District, where it dropped from 19% to 12%.
In the Tel Aviv District, 22% of workers now commute by public transportation, compared with 26% a decade ago. In the Haifa District, the rate fell from 21% to 18%, while in the Northern District it stands at just 8.1%. The rate is particularly low in the West Bank.
The remaining 22% of workers commute using organized transportation, bicycles or scooters, walk to work or work from home.
The survey, which interviewed 6,452 people age 20 and older and is representative of about 6.3 million Israeli residents, painted a mixed picture of satisfaction with the country’s different modes of transportation. Buses, the backbone of Israel’s public transportation network, have experienced a sustained decline in use.
Half of Israelis, about 3.2 million people, rode a bus at least once in the past year, down from 57% a decade ago. Usage declined among nearly all age groups. Among people ages 20 to 24, for example, the share fell from 80% to 73%.
(Photo: Igor Rozhkov\Shutterstock)
Only 15% of the population now rides a bus every day or nearly every day, compared with about 19% a decade ago.
Overall, 52% of Israelis rated bus service positively, while 31% gave it a negative assessment.
Among major cities, satisfaction was relatively high in Haifa at 66%, Jerusalem at 65%, Bnei Brak at 64% and Be'er Sheva at 60%. The figures were lower in Tel Aviv-Jaffa at 51%, Petah Tikva at 49% and Ashdod at 46%. Compared with a decade ago, assessments of bus service declined in the Southern and Northern districts and in the West Bank.
One of passengers’ biggest complaints is the frequency of intercity bus service. Only 31% of the public said they were satisfied with it. Satisfaction stood at just 29% in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, 30% in Petah Tikva and 34% in both Haifa and Ashdod, compared with 50% in Bnei Brak and 38% in Jerusalem.
Among people who actually use buses, however, 56% agreed that they could reach their destination within a reasonable amount of time. Be'er Sheva recorded particularly high satisfaction on that measure, at 77%.
In addition, 82% of bus passengers said they were satisfied with how close bus stops were to their homes, while 71% were satisfied with bus maintenance, cleanliness and air conditioning.
Jerusalem embraces light rail, Tel Aviv less so
Light rail data revealed a sharp difference between Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
Nationwide, among residents of cities served by light rail, 43% said the system meets their needs. Another 15% said it does not, while 42% either do not use it or did not know.
Jerusalem Light Rail
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
In Jerusalem, where the light rail has operated since 2011, half of residents said it meets their needs.
In Tel Aviv-Jaffa, by contrast, only 28% said the light rail meets their needs. Nearly half, 47%, said they do not use it at all, while another 21% said it does not meet their needs.
In other cities served by the Tel Aviv metropolitan area’s Red Line, 46% of Petah Tikva residents said the light rail meets their needs, as did 43% in Bnei Brak and 42% in both Ramat Gan and Bat Yam.
Significant digital divide
Unlike the decline in bus use, Israel Railways has recorded growing ridership and improved public perceptions over the past decade.
About 44% of Israelis age 20 and older, or roughly 2.8 million people, used the train at least once during the past year, up from 39% a decade ago.
The increase was particularly pronounced in the Jerusalem District, where the share rose from 23% to 41%; the Tel Aviv District, from 37% to 48%; and the West Bank, from 27% to 46%.
In the Northern District, by contrast, only 34% used the train during the past year. The figure also revealed a significant disparity within the region: 50% of Jewish residents used the train, compared with 21% of Arab residents.
About 66% of the overall public rated Israel Railways positively, up from 58% a decade ago.
(Photo: Israel Railways)
Among people who actually travel by train, satisfaction was substantially higher. Some 86% rated Israel Railways positively, 94% said they receive clear and accurate information about train service, 92% were satisfied with the maintenance and cleanliness of train cars and 80% were satisfied with service frequency.
The lowest satisfaction score among rail passengers concerned the location and accessibility of stations, at 71% nationwide and 67% in the Northern District.
The survey also identified a significant age-based divide in the use of digital public transportation services, including online schedules and payment systems.
Half of the public said digital transportation services meet their needs, including 31% who said they do so to a great extent and 19% to some extent.
Among Israelis ages 20 to 49, 57% use the digital services and said they meet their needs. Among people age 65 and older, however, 62% said the online services were either unfamiliar to them or irrelevant to their needs.
The Central Bureau of Statistics has conducted the Social Survey annually since 2002 to collect detailed information about living conditions in Israel. The questionnaires and special survey topics are developed with a public-academic steering committee headed by demographer Sergio DellaPergola and overseen by the Public Advisory Council for Statistics, as part of a government initiative to measure quality of life and public confidence in government services.