Sunday marks the inauguration for free shuttle service from the First Station complex to the Old City in Jerusalem.
It is good news for Jerusalem tourists and locals alike, as traveling by car to the old city, with its narrow roads, many of them closed off, and surrounding congested roads, can be a difficult trek.
Shuttle users can now park their cars by the First Station complex, pay a daily rate, and make their way to the Old City.
“Free to the Old City” shuttles leave from the First Station complex parking lot every 20 minutes and include stops in the Jewish Quarter, the Western Wall, Dung Gate, the City of David, before returning back to the First Station. During the week, the shuttle runs from 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. On Friday, they run until an hour before the Sabbath, and on Saturday, from one hour after the Sabbath concludes to midnight.
The ribbon cutting ceremony took place in the presence of Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, Dvir Kahana, the director-general of the Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Ministry, and Shmuel Rabinovitch, the Rabbi of the Western Wall.
Naftali Bennett, who is also the Minister of Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, and Chairman of the Jewish Home Party, said the new shuttles were important for "strengthening the Jewish presence in the City of David."
