Trains stop on Friday afternoon and restart on Saturday night. Most bus lines do not run in between. That is exactly when many festivals, weddings and parties happen.
This guide covers what still runs, what it costs, and how people get there together.
What runs on the weekend and what does not
- Trains: in winter they stop on Friday at about 15:00 to 16:00 and restart on Saturday night at about 20:00 to 21:00.
- Buses: in 2022 only 7% of 2,913 lines ran through all of Shabbat. According to the Freedom of Information Movement (December 2025), 418 lines hold a Shabbat permit and about 130 of them do not actually run, including 301 Ashkelon to Tel Aviv, Eilat to Jerusalem and Beersheba to Jerusalem.
- Where there is service: Haifa and the Krayot, Eilat, Nof HaGalil and Arab towns.
- Naa Tlv: free weekend lines funded by 12 authorities in the center, including Tel Aviv, Givatayim, Herzliya and Kfar Saba. In 2025 they carried 1,817,000 passengers on 17 lines, and since 13 February 2026 line 711 reaches Ben Gurion Terminal 1, about every 2 hours.
Outside these areas there is usually no public way to get anywhere on Shabbat.
What a taxi costs on Shabbat
Since April 2026 the meter has 3 tariffs. Saturday daytime, 06:00 to 19:00, and Friday 16:01 to 21:00 are tariff B. Friday from 21:01 and Saturday from 19:01 are tariff C, the most expensive.
| Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, one way | About |
|---|---|
| Weekday, daytime | ₪357 |
| Saturday, daytime | ₪406 |
| Friday night | ₪455 |
| Saturday daytime, 4 sharing | ₪100 each |
These are estimates from the official meter for a trip of about 65 km and 1 hour. The meter decides the real fare.
Sharing a ride legally
Since December 2017 the regulations let a private driver take passengers and share costs with them:
- Up to 4 passengers besides the driver.
- The ride is arranged in advance.
- Up to ₪2 per km, split equally between everyone in the car, the driver included.
Sharing is allowed, profit is not. People who drive to the event anyway fill their empty seats, and passengers pay less than a taxi.
The Fast Lane: 3 in the car pay nothing
Since 15 April 2026, a car with 3 or more people, the driver included, uses the Route 1 Fast Lane without paying. That alone is a reason for a driver to fill the car.
What organizers can do
- Give a full car a reason. Parking at the gate or a faster way in for cars with 3 or more people.
- Ask drivers first. The first message: “Driving? Post your free seats.” People looking for a ride come a few days later and find seats waiting.
- Publish the way home in advance. There is no train home on Shabbat, so the rides back need to be on the board before the event starts.
- Know in time who is missing. People who looked for a ride and did not find one, by town and by day, are exactly where a shuttle belongs.
