Egged Bus Cooperative
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Image:Longbus01.jpg Egged Bus Cooperative is the largest bus company in Israel, and the second largest in the world (after London Buses). A cooperative owned by its members, Egged employs more than 6,300 workers and has more than 3,500 buses running on 1,050 regular lines. Egged's bus routes reach most settlements, kibbutzim and cities in Israel and the occupied territories. Egged also runs local bus networks in most Israeli cities and towns.
Egged was created in 1933 through a merger of four smaller bus cooperatives. In 1951, Egged merged with the northern Shahar bus company and the southern Drom Yehuda bus company, creating a cross-country public transportation network. After the Six Day War, Egged merged with the Hamekasher bus company of Jerusalem. The name Egged (lit. Union) was given to the cooperative by the Israeli poet Chaim Nachman Bialik, in reference to the original merger.
During the wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973, Egged buses and drivers helped to reinforce the logistics system of the IDF and drove soldiers and food to the battlefields.
Egged's bus fleet include the latest bus models of Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and MAN.
Other notable Israeli bus companies include Dan Bus Company.
Long-distance lines
Image:Egged Buses 982 Afula.jpg This is a very partial overview of some long-distance lines of Egged.
| Line | Route |
|---|---|
| 170 | Jerusalem - Beit El |
| 400 | Jerusalem CBS - Bnei Brak (- Ramat Gan) |
| 402 | Jerusalem Har Chotzvim - Bnei Brak (- Ramat Gan) |
| 405 | Jerusalem CBS - Tel Aviv CBS, non-stop |
| 437 | Jerusalem - Ashkelon |
| 480 | Jerusalem CBS - Tel Aviv Arlozorov |
| 444 | Jerusalem - Eilat |
| 470 | Jerusalem - Beer Sheva |
| 947 | Jerusalem - - Haifa-Hof HaCarmel CBS (via Ben Gurion Airport, Petah Tikva, Netanya) |
| 963 | Jerusalem - Kiryat Shemona |
| 982 | Jerusalem Har Chotzvim - Miron - Safed (Tsfat) |
It should be noted that due to the fact that most journeys are not so long, no more than about one or two hours at most, the buses do not have toilets on board. On very long routes, such as Jerusalem - Safed, a break at a gas station is held at some point underway.