Jerusalem Transit returns to normal

[daveklepper]

Yesterday evening used the  Arab 255 bus back-door Yeshiva - Damascus Gate, Light Rail to Ammunition Hill, Egged 54 to apartment.  Eight-to-ten times number of passengers in all three vehicles vs. same trip late last week.  Most wore masks as I did.   Almost as many standing as sitting on Light Rail.   No social-distancing really possible.

[MidlandMike]

I heard that Isreal is way ahead in vaccinations.

[Erik_Mag]

And that the vaccines seem to be very effective at preventing severe infections and effective at reducing transmission. New reports state that vaccine deliveries here are ramping up and anyone who wants to get vaccinated should be able to do so no later than July.

Here in San Diego county, the daily status reports suggest that hospitalizations are dropping faster for the 70 and above age group than for the 69 and below.

[daveklepper]

Used light rail twice today.  Downtown between Damascus Gate and City Hall, a typical rush-hour crowd, with no "social distancing" possible.  Going only one stop, I turned-down the offer of a seat.  Returning as far as suburban Givat HaMatvir, 'Hill of those remaining" against rush-hour, only half-a-seated-load, normal for the direcion and time of day.

[daveklepper]

New for me was riding a new Polish-built Solaris articulated low-floor bus.  Possitively the best city transit diesel bus I've ever ridden.  The first low-floor witih a decent suspension.  Two double-width doors in the front section and two in the rear.  Even LED  interior , great seat arrangement with sufficient aisle width to get by standees, excellent even intelligible public address, bright exterior LED route and destination singage, the latter alternating between Arabic, Hebrew, and English, makes the MAN Hungarian buses that have dominated Jerusalem tranist for over ten years seem very obsolete.

In the Arab sector, a popular bus is the Izuki low-floor, not articulated and slightly smaller than normal size.  Front and rear door single-width, the center door double-widh.  Good lighting and seating, have yet to hear the PA actually used, suspension no better or worse than the MANs.  Front door a steel frame around one full-height window.