Heavy hail was pelting the ground, the cold was unbearable, but the many people, including babies and small children, who crowded the Jerusalem light rail station, continued to stand under the awning and in the pouring rain (because there was no room under the awning for so many people) - without saying a word.
Who will they tell? What will they say?
They used to complain to the bus driver, whether he was at fault or not (he was simply accessible to people, unlike on the light rail); they used to complain, sigh, and say to each other: "What's going on with the bus, it's already fifteen minutes late.".
Today, we have a light rail, we have precise times, we have tremendous success, and yet, for many minutes, people stand naked outside the crowded station and whisper to themselves, only to themselves, a rhetorical question: "When will the next train come?" - because the one that arrived before was full.
Full - and they stayed outside, under the water currents, because there was no choice.
The truth is that before the light rail was built, no one imagined how much of a blessing it would be. The train definitely helps. It cuts through the city quickly and easily, it travels calmly, without galloping over bumps in the road, it arrives on time, it is accessible to the disabled, and it is comfortable to sit and even stand on. It definitely has many advantages.
But, when the light rail was built, they dreamed up there that it would replace private vehicles.
This did not happen. Those who were used to traveling by car continue to travel. And why is that?
Because the internal buses, which are supposed to lead to the train, don't always arrive on time, and even if they do, it's not enough to make someone say to themselves: "Well, today I won't take my car, because there's a bus that will take me to the train, I'll take the train to... and from there I'll continue on foot to....""
In addition, I think that at least during certain hours, such as the evening and night hours, the CityPass company must send a series of buses and trains to get people to replace their comfortable private cars. No one likes to wait 10 minutes at the station, let alone 20 minutes, which is what happens at night, when a private car, even if not particularly fancy, is waiting for them at home.
To succeed in getting everyone on the train, you just have to make sure that they don't find themselves standing and waiting. No one likes to wait, especially not in the rain, wind, storm, and blizzard, but not without them either.
To establish an entire fleet of trains and buses, you have to invest a lot of money, but in the long run, who will stand in front of this fleet and be left with their vehicle stuck in traffic jams?
The respectful, accessible, and invested approach of the light rail company is the only way to get people to use public transportation, and it is the only way not to drive those who already use public transportation back to their private cars.
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