[RBS] Changes to Egged routes

[Yehuda and Rebecca Poch]

Hi, all:
The following changes to the Egged routes affecting Beit Shemesh will 
come into effect in the next couple of weeks.  I have received this 
information over the past 10 days from various drivers on the routes.

Effective Sunday December 20 (yesterday):  The 417 from Jerusalem to RBS 
via Beit Shemesh now runs every 10 minutes during the peak afternoon 
hours instead of every 12 minutes.

Effective January 3, 2010 (and possibly January 1): The 417 bus route 
from Jerusalem to RBS will run only up to the corner of Nahal Kishon and 
Nahal Sorek (Shefa Shuk).  The route from RBS to Jerusalem will begin at 
that corner and run through RBS-B and along the same route into 
Jerusalem-Har Hotzvim.

Effective January 3, 2010 (and possibly January 1): A new bus route, 
number 419, will run from Jerusalem-Har Hotzvim along the same route as 
the 417, but will continue along Rte. 38 south until the main entrance 
to RBS-A.  It will run up Nahal Tze'elim to Kishon, then turn left past 
the shopping center to Sorek, and turn right onto Nahal Sorek, 
continuing along the normal 417 route through RBS-A and ending at the 
foot of Ayalon.  The route back will be the reverse, except that the bus 
will continue along Sorek past Kishon, turning left behind the shopping 
center and right onto Nahal Ein Gedi, then left onto Nahal Hever and 
right on to Nahal Tze'elim to leave RBS-A.  Busses will likely run every 
20 minutes until the scheduling can be ironed out.

There were already inspectors on the 417s this afternoon counting 
passengers and the time it took the bus to get from Har Hotzvim to the 
exit from Jerusalem, in order to properly assess the demand on the routes.

No changes will be made to the 418 route.