Exclusion of women on a Dan bus? D., an elderly woman in her 70s, who boarded bus 292, was required by the company's dispatcher to move to the back of the bus, "to the women's area.".
After she refused, the usher claimed the reason was "because it is written in the Torah.".
According to a report by Hanan Greenwood in Israel Hayom, the incident occurred several weeks ago, when D. made her way, as she does every week, from Bnei Brak to Bar Ilan University.
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""I'm in Bnei Brak every week and I know the buses," she told Israel Hayom. "When I got on the bus, a guy immediately approached me and said he was a bus attendant and that it was a bus from Hadrin, and that I should sit in the back with the women. I was shocked.".
D. didn't know what to do. According to her, she stood by the trash can in the center of the bus for long minutes, shaking. According to her, when the dispatcher saw that she wasn't answering him, he said, "She probably doesn't understand." Towards the end of the trip, D. mustered up the courage and asked where it said it was a Mehadrin bus.
""He said it's written in the Torah and everyone knows it. Then he turned to the driver and said, 'Right?' and the driver replied, 'Yes.'".
The angry D. asked why he didn't comment on the man who had his feet on the seat without shoes - and in response he replied: "I told you to sit with the women in the back.".
That evening, D. went to file a police report and also filed a complaint with Dan's company. "It's never happened to me. It's perfectly fine for a man to sit next to a man, I also like to sit next to a woman, but not on a separate bus. When you read about such an incident in the newspaper, it's one thing, but when it happens to you, it's a completely different thing. I was shocked. I always sit next to the driver if possible because I'm older and don't want to walk much when the bus is moving, because I could fall.".
In response to Israel Hayom, Dan denied the incident. "A check with the inspector reveals a completely different version, according to which the customer asked the inspector to warn another passenger who was barefoot. The inspector suggested that she sit somewhere else on the bus so that it wouldn't bother her.".
