Electra Afikim
Israeli bus company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Electra Afikim (Hebrew: אלקטרה-אפיקים, lit. 'lit. routes'), known also as Afikim, is an Israeli bus company that operates on routes connecting the Gush Dan and Sharon plain regions with the western Samaria region of the West Bank, as well as lines in Ashdod, Yavne, Rosh HaAyin and other locations.
Rosh HaAyin
Sharon plain
Samaria
| |
| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Service area | Gush Dan Rosh HaAyin Sharon plain Samaria |
| Service type | bus service |
| Routes | 31 (January 2014) |
Annual ridership | 53,600,000[1] |
History
Afikim was founded in 2008 and was part of Sela Holdings. It began operating on September 1, 2009.
2010s: Expansion
In March 2013, the company began operating "Palestinian only" buses and bus lines for Palestinian workers commuting from the West Bank to jobs in Israel, following complaints from Jewish settlers.[2]
Afikim also purchased Connex's activity in Israel in 2013, significantly expanding its operations, and as of November 2014, operated about 145 routes and a fleet of 350 buses, with plans to purchase a further 200 for the Ashdod–Yavne–Tel Aviv sector.[3] In 2015, Afikim won the tender for cluster of Petah Tikva and Rosh HaAyin which includes all intracity service in Petah Tikva and Rosh HaAyin.
On May 6, 2016, Afikim started to operate the intracity and intercity services in Rosh HaAyin and line 47 from Giv'at Shmuel to Petah Tikva. On February 13, 2017, Afikim started to operate line 485 from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport.
2020s: Electra Afikim
In 2020, Electra Ltd acquired Afikim, Egged Taavura and Amonon Mesilot and rebranded Electra Afikim.[4]
In 2021, Electra Afikim acquired Egged Taavura.[5] Since, it has merged its operations and branding into Electra Afikim.[5] Electra Afikim kept the Egged Taavura company active on paper for as long as it had contracts with the Israeli government.
Ridership by sector
In 2017, each sector had the following annual ridership:[1]
| Sector | Ridership (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Petah Tikva and Rosh HaAyin internal | 21 |
| Ashdod internal | 15 |
| Ashdod – Yavne – Tel Aviv | 10 |
| Samaria | 5 |
| Jerusalem – Bnei Brak | 3 |