Haredi Bus Bully Busted: Teens Compensated After Being Forced to Wear Veils and Segregate

In a landmark settlement that exposes the persistent scourge of gender segregation in Israel's public spaces, Natib Express has agreed to pay substantial damages to seven teenage girls and three boys who were humiliated on a bus from Ashdod to Safed in August 2023, after the driver demanded the girls cover their bodies and relocate to the rear of the vehicle, claiming it was a "religious line." The driver, employed by a subcontractor, was immediately fired, and the company severed ties with the contractor entirely. Represented by the Reform Center for Religion and State, the victims secured an apology, policy reinforcements, and financial redress without a full trial, a victory that underscores Israel's commitment to equality in public transportation, even as ultra-Orthodox pressures threaten to erode hard-won freedoms for women and girls.

The ordeal unfolded on Line 885 when the group of secular teens boarded the intercity bus. The driver announced over the intercom that boys must sit upfront while girls, deemed immodestly dressed, cover themselves and move to the back, offering blankets since they lacked sufficient clothing. "This is a religious bus," he insisted, later telling the protesting girls, "The education you grew up with is the worst there can be, you'll grow up and understand." He added, "When you board a bus with religious and Haredi passengers who respect their way, you must respect their way too. What do you want, for them to stare at your body?" The girls countered, "Just as we respect them, they can respect us. They close their eyes when we pass and spit at us. We have feelings too." Undeterred, the driver retorted, "This is the state of the Jews and this is where you live," and declared, "Anyone boarding my bus will respect the Haredi community, because you're using public transportation, it's theirs." He allegedly sneered, "I know it's comfortable for you to be naked," and repeated, "What do you want them to look at your body?"

The teens complied under duress, draping fabrics over themselves and segregating, but felt "like lepers and humiliated" throughout the journey. Upon alighting, they confronted the driver, who dismissed them as immature. The incident, captured in viral photos of the shrouded girls huddled in the back, galvanized public fury and legal action. Attorneys Uri Narov and Tamar Halevi from the Reform Center hailed the outcome: "The unforgettable image of the girls, humiliated in the back seat, spread to every home in Israel and clarified that excluding women in public transportation is a severe, ongoing national phenomenon that must be fought with determination. Bus drivers are obligated to protect every passenger's fundamental right to equal and respectful service, and certainly cannot discriminate against women by ordering them to sit in the back or dress modestly. This agreement sends a clear message that discriminators will pay, and we hope it prevents future cases of women’s exclusion in public transportation. We will continue fighting this reprehensible phenomenon, in public transportation and everywhere in the public sphere."

Natib Express swiftly distanced itself, stating the driver acted "on his own initiative, contrary to company procedures and the law." They demanded an immediate investigation from the subcontractor, who expressed regret and terminated the driver. The company ended the contract, refreshed protocols for all subcontractors, and issued public condemnations in newspapers and online affirming "all passengers are equal" and rejecting segregation, despite the driver not being a direct employee. They assumed full responsibility in the settlement. The Reform Center operates a hotline for gender exclusion reports, receiving 40 complaints nationwide in 2025 alone, highlighting how Haredi demands for "mehadrin" lines, though outlawed since a 2011 Supreme Court ruling, persist informally, intimidating drivers and passengers. This case reinforces that public buses serve all Israelis, not fringe sects imposing Taliban-like rules on women, and signals zero tolerance for backward practices that shame girls for existing in shared spaces.