Getting around Tel Aviv

Most people in Tel Aviv get by without a car. Here is what I would set up first and what changes on Shabbat.

Rav-Kav first

The Rav-Kav card is the main way to pay for buses and trains. Visitors usually buy the anonymous version for a one-time 5 NIS. You can load it on the HopOn or Rav-Kav Online apps (NFC phones only), at tourist information centers, at designated shops and kiosks, and at the bike share stations (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). Buses also take credit cards, including Apple Pay (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). The city's English page lists a single ride at 8 NIS with 90 minutes of transfers inside Tel Aviv; fares change, so check the Ministry of Transport's fare page, which the city links (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

The light rail

The Red Line opened on August 18, 2023 and runs from Bat Yam through Jaffa, central Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak to Petah Tikva (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). It has 34 stations, 12 of them inside Tel Aviv-Yafo, and about 12 km of the 24 km route is underground (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). At street-level stations the validators take only Rav-Kav; with a payment app (Moovit, HopOn, Rav-Pass, Pango or Cello) you scan a QR code at the gates of underground stations (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). The line opened without Shabbat service (Forward (opens in a new tab)).

The Purple and Green lines are still being built. In August 2024 Globes reported that their opening dates had moved to the end of 2027 and the end of 2028, and that sources doubted even those (Globes (opens in a new tab)). Wikipedia now gives 2028 as an estimate for the Purple Line, and says its first vehicle was delivered in June 2026 (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). The city expects the full network to be running by 2029 (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Buses and trains

Dan, Egged and Metropoline run buses in the city; the main hub is the Central Bus Station, with other terminals at Reading, Carmelit and Arlozorov (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). Israel Railways has stations along the Ayalon highway, including Tel Aviv Merkaz (Arlozorov), HaShalom and HaHagana. Trains stop on Friday afternoon and start again after Shabbat (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). Night lines connect neighborhoods with nightlife areas on Thursdays and after Shabbat during the school year (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Friday night and Saturday

Regular public transport doesn't run on Shabbat, but the city's free weekend buses (Na'im BaSofash) do: Fridays from 5pm to 2am and Saturdays from 9:30am to 6pm, about every half hour. The lines are 705-717, 721-723 and 729, and you can switch between them freely (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). Food and alcohol aren't allowed on board, and the stop signs don't show the hours, so check times on busofash.co.il or in Moovit (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). The service is free and covers several neighboring towns as well (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). Shared taxis (sherut) also run on Shabbat at slightly higher fares (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Bikes and scooters

Wikipedia notes that Tel-O-Fun, the city's green bike share, has been renamed Metrofun (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). Its app offers electric and classic bikes at more than 400 stations in Tel Aviv and Herzliya (App Store (opens in a new tab)). The city's rules: riders must be 16 or older, helmets are mandatory, electric bikes are limited to 25 km/h, riding on the sidewalk outside bike paths carries a 250 NIS fine, and electric bikes and scooters need a license plate (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Parking

Curb colors tell you the rule. Blue-and-white means paid parking for non-residents from 9am to 5pm and, from 5pm to 9am, parking only for residents with a sticker for that zone, unless signs say otherwise. Residents with a sticker park free in blue-and-white spaces anywhere in the city from 9am to 5pm (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). Red-and-white means no parking (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Every resident who owns a car is entitled to a resident sticker. You need copies of an ID with your current Tel Aviv-Yafo address, a rental or ownership agreement and an arnona notice, all in your name. The parking office answers on 03-7249728, Sunday to Wednesday 8am to 6pm and Thursday 8am to 3pm (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). Street parking is paid with Pango, Cellopark or EasyPark, and residents get a discount at Ahuzot HaHof lots (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)). Parking permits and tickets are also in My DigiTel (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Taxis

Licensed taxis must use the meter. A 25% surcharge applies from 11:30pm to 5am, on Shabbat and on holidays, and the city names Gett, Raxi and Yango as taxi apps (Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (opens in a new tab)).

More in the transport and driving directories.