Go Fight Egged!

Yep- that would be the Israeli version of the phrase, "Go fight City Hall." Egged is 'the man' here in this country- and not surprisingly.

Egged is the major bus company in Israel, traveling from Mt. Chermon in the north to Eilat in the south. Their bus stops occupy most major roads, and their prices are so reasonable that it doesn't pay for most of the country to own cars, since the price of gas in Israel is rather high.

If you want to go anywhere, there is always their helpful website, which can help you track down the Kav (number) bus you'd like, as well as destination, times and general information. I've found it a bit hard to use, as it doesn't like Yerushalayim as a city? for some reason....but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon.

What really is unique about Egged is this: the phone operator service. They actually pick up. And, they know English- and have an option for it on the phone. How come Egged has an 'for English, press 4' but Meuhedet- the leading health insurance Kupat Cholim in the country does not?

Oy.

Don't these Israelis realize that they had ancestors who came here not knowing Ivrit- and they should try to be kind to new olim who are barely passing their Ulpan? Guess they forgot, and think they've been Israeli since the beginning of time.

I've dealt with many things in Israel- but trying to communicate medical information over the phone to people who don't speak a word of English- has got to be one of the worst. Egged makes it so easy- they speak English, and are happy to translate and repeat as many times as necessary, without transferring you to another person (as so many telephone lines do- like Bezeq, Meuhedet, and others.)

So- yeah, you could try to fight Egged- but it's just not worth it. They do too good of a job.