Are Buses Kosher on the Sabbath in Israel?

Amazing as it may seem, under the right circumstances, the operation of buses in Israel may be Kosher on the Sabbath.

The Times has a report from its Jerusalem Bureau on Israelis who are lobbying for the easing of the restriction on public buses running on Shabbat in Israel.

There are many Israelis who oppose Shabbat bus service, including non-Orthodox Israelis who appreciate the special nature of one day a week without bus congestion on their streets.

Orthodox Israelis on the whole approve of the ban on buses. But some Orthodox have started to realize that limited public bus service, where non-Jews drive on fixed routes, could be a great asset to them and could cut down on the non-religious Jews' driving, considered by the Orthodox to be violations of the Sabbath.

Changes ordinarily don't happen fast in Israeli public services. But I suspect that in this case, the winds have shifted after 67 years of rigorous bans. Pressure groups have been organized. Kosher or not, Shabbos buses may be on their way in.