What is a Rav Kav?
Payments for public transportation can only be made using a Rav Kav, a special payment card. With a Rav Kav, passengers purchase and pay for rides both within and between cities. A Rav Kav can also be programmed with discounts for eligible riders, such as senior citizens and children. Passengers are responsible to charge their Rav Kavs before boarding. Read on for details.
How to Obtain a Rav Kav
To obtain a Rav Kav, visit www.ravkavonline.co.il, select hanpakat rav kav and follow the prompts (in Hebrew). You will need to upload proof of ID (ie. teudat zehut or passport), a passport photo that will be printed on your Rav Kav, and proof of eligibility for any relevant discounts. Alternatively, bring the following to a Rav Kav service center (see the end of this article for locations):
- Rav Kav online application form
- Passport/teudat zehut
- Supporting documents for discount, if applicable (senior citizen, disabled, student)
There is no fee for setting up the card.
An anonymous Rav Kav may be purchased from any Rav Kav office. This card can subsequently be used like a regular Rav Kav, but it cannot hold discounts (senior citizen, disability, etc.) and has no protection against loss or theft.
Loading Your Rav Kav
Passengers are responsible to fill their Rav Kavs before boarding. It is not possible to charge a card with a bus driver or on the train.
Similarly, it is impossible to load your Rav Kav on a train. You can be fined for boarding a train with no way to pay for your ride, so make sure that your Rav Kav is not empty before boarding.
Be sure to “pay” for your ride by swiping your Rav Kav on the self-pay machine nearest you on the bus or train. Failure to do so, even if you have a transfer or monthly pass on your card, can result in fines.
Options for loading your Rav Kav:
- At the automated machines located at every train station, at main bus stations, at Rav Kav service stations and in participating stores.
- On a smartphone via one of the following smartphone apps: HaTachana, Moovit, Pango, Cello, Rav-Pass.
- Over the Internet: You can view the activities of your Rav Kav and load it with a credit card online. Visit www.ravkavonline.co.il to download the smartphone app. To access the app on a computer, buy a Rav Kav reader at a Rav Kav service station for 10 NIS. Attach it to your computer, then visit www.ravkavonline.co.il and follow the prompts to download the required software.
Travel Packages
There are several options to choose from when paying with your Rav Kav.
As of August 1, the cost of a single bus ride will be based on the distance of one’s trip. The farther you travel, the more the fare will be. You can also obtain daily or monthly plans (yomi or chodshi), again based on distance traveled.
For further information on available travel packages, see the government website Derech Shava at pti.org.il.
Free Transfers (Ma’avar)
A fare paid for local trips up to 15 kilometers includes a 90 minute free transfer (within those 15 kilometers) to another bus or light rail train. You must still present your Rav Kav when boarding your next bus or train.
When you travel with another person by bus (not train), you may have the self-pay screen charge you for more than one ride on a single card. If your companion will need to board another bus separately, though, he/she will need the Rav Kav with him to access the transfer.
Bus Fare for Children
Until age 18, Israeli children travel at half price. This only applies if they pay with a Rav Kav that has been programmed with a youth (noar) discount. A youth discount is programmed automatically, based on age, for Israeli children. Visa holders should email Chaim V’Chessed for information on obtaining a child discount.
Children under 5 ride free of charge, however this exemption is for only one child per paying adult traveler. A parent traveling with more than one child under age 5 only receives one free child. They may pay with any Rav Kav that has been programmed with a child discount. If none is available, they will need to pay the full fare.
Carriages travel free of charge.
Seniors and the Disabled
Israeli citizen passengers aged 75 and older travel free of charge on public transport anywhere in Israel! In order to utilize this benefit, the senior must arrange a 75+ profile on his or her Rav Kav or on the smartphone travel app.
All other senior Israeli citizens (men from age 67, women from 62) will continue to enjoy a 50% discount. Please note: The senior profile can already be applied for from the 1st of the month of the senior’s birthday.
Seniors have the option to have a representative apply for a senior profile on their behalf. The representative must bring along a signed power of attorney (including both of their personal details), a printed copy of the senior’s teudat zehut and the senior’s Rav Kav.
Please note: Senior citizens who are not citizens or residents of Israel cannot benefit from this discount. They will be required to pay the same full fare as adults.
The discount for disabled persons and those eligible for income support has been raised from 33% to 50% per trip. This is automatically part of the person’s travel profile and is valid for individual trips, but not for monthly passes.
Loss, Theft or Damage
In case of loss, theft or damage, order a new card at the nearest Rav Kav service center. If you had a balance left on your lost or stolen Rav Kav, it should be transferred to your new card. The old card will be cancelled. An anonymous card cannot be refunded. Make sure to bring your Israeli ID or foreign passport.
It is illegal to use someone else’s Rav Kav – even that of your spouse or child – if that person is not traveling with you. It is also illegal to pay at a discounted rate that you are not eligible for.
If you have been charged with the improper use of a Rav Kav, you may appeal the charge by submitting a letter to the Traffic Controller by fax at 03-684-9876, or by mail to Binyan Genre A, 5 Bank Israel Street, POB 867, Jerusalem 91008.
Rav Kav Service Centers, Jerusalem
Rav Shefa Mall, 16 Shamgar, floor 2
Hours: Sunday—Thursday 9:00 am–8:30 pm, Friday and Erev Yom Tov 8:30 am–12:00 pm
Central Bus Station (Tachana Merkazit), 224 Yafo, floor 2 (opposite platform 22)
Sunday—Thursday 7:00 am–7:30 pm, Friday and Erev Yom Tov 7:00 am–12:30 pm
Pisgat Zeev Mall, 106 Sderot Moshe Dayan, floor 2 (opposite Meuhedet)
Sunday—Thursday 9:00 am–9:00 pm, Friday and Erev Yom Tov 9:00 am–2:00 pm
Ramot Mall, 255 Golda Meir Boulevard, ground floor (next to Cafe Ne’eman)
Sunday—Thursday 9:00 am–9:00 pm, Friday and Erev Yom Tov 9:00 am–2:00 pm
Hadar Mall, 26 Pierre Koenig Street, Talpiot, floor -1
Sunday – Thursday 9:00 am-9:00 pm, Friday and Erev Yom Tov 9:00 am-2:00 pm
Gilo Mall, ground floor, opposite Optica Mani
Sunday—Thursday 8:00 am–8:00 pm, Friday and Erev Yom Tov 9:00 am–2:00 pm
Hapa’amon Mall, King George 3
Sunday-Thursday 8:00 am-8:00 pm, Friday and Erev Yom Tov 8:00 am-13:30 pm
For a full listing of countrywide Rav Kav service centers, visit Egged’s website.
For more information on Rav Kav:
Transportation Department: *8787 Egged: *2800
Kfir Light Rail Trail: *2779