Egged fined ₪842,000 for idling buses at terminals

The Environmental Protection Ministry has imposed an ₪842,720 fine on Egged, Israel's largest bus operator, following repeated violations of the requirement to shut off bus engines during stops. Despite early warnings and a formal notice of intent to enforce, ministry surveillance teams documented drivers leaving engines running for more than 10 minutes at terminals nationwide.

During extensive monitoring operations at bus terminals across the country, inspectors recorded official Egged buses parked for over 10 consecutive minutes with engines still running, in direct violation of regulations designed to prevent air pollution.

The ministry sent Egged a formal notice of intent to fine in July. In response, the company presented a series of measures it claimed would prevent future incidents. But follow-up inspections, seven additional surveillance operations conducted after Egged's declaration, caught new cases of buses left idling while parked.

In light of the continuing violations, the ministry rejected Egged's request to reduce the fine, stating that the company's proposed measures proved insufficient given that violations continued even during the enforcement process. However, in accordance with enforcement regulations and the absence of information about prior violations by the company, the ministry reduced the fine by 20% from the maximum amount.

Ministry officials emphasized that leaving an engine running while parked causes unnecessary and dangerous air pollutants to be released in public spaces, pollution that can be prevented by turning off the engine. They further stressed that polluting gases are emitted even from advanced buses meeting the stringent Euro 6 standard, making strict adherence to the regulations critical across the entire fleet.

Illustration (Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90)

Iris Shalit, senior deputy director for supervision and enforcement at the Environmental Protection Ministry, said: "Shutting off an engine while parked is a simple action that prevents unnecessary pollutant emissions, especially in the urban environment where the public is exposed to many emission sources. In this case, the ministry documented repeated violations over time, and even found additional violations after the enforcement process began."

Shalit added that "the ministry will continue to monitor and enforce the law and work to reduce air pollution from transportation and protect public health."

This case joins a series of legal troubles for Egged. Last month, the company was required to compensate a chareidi woman who was mistakenly subjected to debt collection proceedings after a passenger gave her ID number instead of his own.