Taxi
TaxiIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Israeli police are poised to begin a pilot program bringing in the Gett taxi company to take over some transportation duties now handled by squad cars, Calcalist reported on Monday.

With police human resources stretched to the limit and recruitment operations failing to meet department quotas, Israeli police have hit upon a creative solution to free up existing units.

Along with their primary duty of responding to emergency calls and other active police operations, Israeli squad cars also are used to pick up officers from their homes, bring them to their respective police stations, and then return them home at the end of their shifts.

As part of the new pilot program, during weekends, when police resources are mostly heavily in demand, taxis will be used ferry officers to and from work, freeing up squad cars – and the units tied to them – for police work.

Regarding the selection of the Gett taxi company, the police Logistical Support Department said no other taxi service met the needs of the new program.

“The only company which is able to meet all the requirements [of the program] and has a large enough fleet of cars is Gett.”

Gett has some 7,500 taxis across the country, making it the largest taxi service in Israel.