Transportation Minister Miri Regev has decided to approve the operation of the Uber mass transportation service in Israel - and it is expected to enter into joint operations as early as early 2026.
In an interview with 'Kan News', Regev said: "I instructed the director general of the ministry to handle and coordinate staff work on the issue a few months ago, to reach understandings with taxi owners, taxi organizations and the Ministry of Finance.".
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According to her, "There are a great many taxi organizations and some of them are willing to be both Uber and a taxi. The time has come for there to be Uber in the State of Israel as well. We travel abroad, we all see Israelis' use of Uber.".
When the minister was asked if her office was able to reach agreements with the taxi drivers, she replied: "I don't need to reach agreements with them. I accept the decision, and the decision is that there will be Uber in the State of Israel. Now the question is how to do it.".
Regev expressed hope to promote the project in cooperation "with both taxi owners and the Treasury, so that Uber will be in the State of Israel as soon as possible.".
When asked if she would withstand the pressures that have delayed the international company's entry into Israel so far, she said: "Israeli citizens cannot be held captive by airlines, just as they cannot be held captive by taxi owners. I think we can reach an understanding, and it is possible that the taxi owners will certainly compensate them for what needs to be compensated, and we can sit together and see how we reach an understanding.".
The minister added: "At the end of the day, what interests me is the Israeli citizen. We need to lower the cost of living. That's why I went for transportation justice reform, that's why I went for the issue of competition between airlines, and the Uber issue is also part of that cost of living for the benefit of the citizens of the State of Israel.".
Kfir Ben Zino, chairman of the National Taxi Drivers Association, responded to the expected upheaval in the market, saying on the program 'Benyamini and Guetta' on Channel 2: "I would be gentle if I said that there is going to be a world war here." Ben Zino addressed the minister directly and said: "I promise you that in the next primaries you will no longer be the Minister of Transportation.".
The chairman of the taxi drivers' association in the independent forum of the Histadrut said in response: "If you want to bring order to the field of passenger transportation by vehicle, then change the law and create full equality for taxi drivers who are currently required to comply with a long series of laws and regulations, including long and expensive training. The real question is what is 'hidden' behind Uber's income? It is clear that what is happening here is an attempt to train the creep.".
He said, "This is a move that will legitimize all the illegal drivers of the 'drivers' phenomenon, which of course exists mainly in the Haredi sector. This is the truth that Miri Regev is trying to hide. She is not just suddenly pulling out the Uber service, but she wants to find a solution for a group of potential voters and the Haredi pressure group ahead of the upcoming elections.".
""Regav is not concerned about the state of public transportation, but is trying to train criminals through the back door in order to amass personal political capital.".
