Inquiries received by ACRI indicate that the public transportation system in Dimona does not meet the needs of the residents, leaving many of them with hardly any access to public transportation whatsoever. The problem is especially difficult in the Har Nof neighborhood, which is not accessible by any public transportation, except for a single bus line along the neighborhood’s main street a few times a day. This line’s infrequency deems it unreliable for its residents’ daily needs. As a result, the neighborhood is essentially cut off from the rest of the city in terms of public transportation, and its residents are compelled to walk at least a kilometer and a half, just to reach an active bus stop.
In an appeal to the Ministry of Transportation, Attorney Reut Shaer, ACRI’s Public Hotline Unit Director, emphasized that the need for access to public transportation is essential and acute for thousands of people who do not drive or own private vehicles, including children and teenagers, families living in poverty, families with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. She further noted that the lack of accessible public transportation is inconsistent with the Ministry of Transportation's policy to encourage the use of public transportation, granting it preference over the use of wasteful and polluting private vehicles. We thus sought to act as soon as possible to update the routes of bus lines in Dimona to connect all neighborhoods and areas, including Har Nof, to public institutions, services, commercial and employment areas in the city, on a regular basis during all hours of operation.