Jerusalem central bus station facts for kids
The Jerusalem Central Bus Station (Hebrew: התחנה המרכזית של ירושלים, HaTahanah HaMerkazit Shel Yerushalayim) is the main place where buses arrive and depart in Jerusalem. It's located on Jaffa Road, close to the city's entrance. This station is used by big bus companies like Egged, Superbus, and Dan for trips between cities.
If you need a city bus or the light rail, you can find them just across the street on Jaffa Road and Zalman Shazar Boulevard. There's even an underground path to help you get there safely! The entrance to the train station, called Navon Railway Station, is also right in front of the bus station.
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A Look at the Station's Past
The first main bus station in Jerusalem opened way back in 1932. It was in the middle of downtown Jerusalem, on Jaffa Road.
Later, in the 1960s, a new station was built where the current one stands today. This older station was a long, one-story building. Buses parked outside, and people got on and off from an outdoor platform.
The bus station you see today opened in September 2001. It was built to handle more buses and passengers. It also added important security checks for everyone coming and going. While the new station was being built, buses used a temporary station a few blocks away.
Inside the Modern Bus Station
The current Central Bus Station is quite large! It has two levels of underground parking. Above ground, there are three main levels for passengers and shops. Plus, there are five upper floors used for offices.
The first main level is a big area with lots of shops and places to eat. The second main level also has shops and is where buses arrive. Since the building is on a hill, both the first and second levels have entrances and exits that lead right out to Jaffa Road. Besides stores, you can find bakeries, a video game arcade, and gift sellers here.
The third main level is where you go to catch a bus for your trip. It has 22 different bus platforms. You wait at a numbered door, and when your bus arrives, you go through the door into the indoor bus area to get on. Big screens show when buses are leaving. Some very popular routes, like buses to Tel Aviv, have their own special platform because they leave so often.
For safety, everyone and their bags are checked by security when they enter the Central Bus Station building. This means if you're leaving, you go through security when you come in from Jaffa Road. Then you can board your bus without more checks. If you're arriving in Jerusalem, buses drop you off in a different part of the building. You can leave directly to the street, or if you want to go into the station's shops, you'll need to go through a security check. Even people just visiting the shops need to pass through security.
There have been some concerns about the air quality inside the indoor bus area. In 2013, the Environmental Protection Ministry said the air in the indoor garage was too polluted.
Connecting to Trains and Light Rail
The Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon train station is right next to the bus station, across Jaffa Street. A light rail stop and city bus stops are also located between the bus and train stations, making it easy to switch between different types of transport.
| Preceding station | Jerusalem Light Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ha-Turim | Red Line | Kiryat Moshe |
Bus Platforms for Different Destinations
The station has many platforms, each serving different bus routes and destinations across Israel. For example, you can find buses going to cities like Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, Ashdod, and many smaller towns and suburbs. There are also special platforms for urban lines that serve areas closer to Jerusalem.
Special Bus Routes
When the bus station was built with a shopping area, some people from the Haredi community had concerns. To help, Egged, a bus company, created special ways for buses going to Haredi areas to depart. For example, there's a special platform for buses to Bnei Brak where passengers can wait with more privacy.
Egged also started a "mehadrin" bus route between Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. This route starts from a different bus stop in northern Jerusalem, called Har Hotzvim. This allows Haredi riders who prefer not to use the main Central Bus Station to still travel. This Har Hotzvim stop now has "mehadrin" buses to other Haredi towns like Safed and Ashdod.
At one time, these "mehadrin" buses had separate seating for men and women. However, in 2011, a court ruled that this separation was not allowed. The court did say that people could choose to sit separately if they wanted for a short time. Even though the seating rules changed, the special bus lines from Har Hotzvim still operate.
See also
In Spanish: Estación Central de Autobuses de Jerusalén para niños
- Tel Aviv Central Bus Station
- List of Egged bus routes in Israel
