Data reveals: Israelis use the light rail more in Tel Aviv, but use it less in Jerusalem 

Shtetl
August 19, 2026   
Photo: 
Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics on public transportation travel in Israel between 2021-2025 shows that there was a 21% jump in the volume of light rail use in Tel Aviv - alongside a decrease in travel times in Haifa and Jerusalem.

Data published today (Tuesday) shows that the number of bus trips in 2025 was 780.9 million - an increase of 1.41% compared to 2024.

The highest percentage of weekday travel cancellations was recorded on Wednesdays - 18.51% of the cancellations, and the lowest on Mondays - 17.81%.

The data also shows that the most significant rush hours for buses are 07:00-07:59 and 13:00-13:59. The highest number of bus trips in the major cities was recorded in Jerusalem - 171.4 million. Next on the list are Tel Aviv - 81.3 million, and Haifa - 54.8 million.

However, the Jerusalem light rail actually recorded a 23.71% decrease in usage compared to 2024, partly due to work that was carried out and shut down its operations for 14 days. The city recorded only 29.9 million validations. 

A similar trend was recorded at Carmelit in Haifa, but on the city's cable car - an increase of nearly 27% was felt.

In contrast, the number of validations on the light rail in the Dan region was 29.9 million validations in 2025 - an increase of 21% compared to 2024, in which the number of validations was 24.7 million.