Inside East Jerusalem's Bus System for Palestinians

When someone needs to know which bus to take in West Jerusalem, the Israeli transportation app, Moovit, is likely their best source. It maps out how to navigate Israeli bus and light rail lines, and connects users to GetTaxi, Israel’s homegrown Uber equivalent. Even Google Maps easily maps out the bus lines.

But cross Route 1 that runs along the green line—which until 1967 formally separated the disputed city—and your best bet for bus directions is to just ask around. Though some Israeli buses pass through East Jerusalem, including lines to contentious Jewish settlements in Palestinian communities, an entirely different network of private Palestinian buses regulated by the Israeli Ministry of Transportation serves Arab communities in the east. West Jerusalem has a central bus station replete with shops and guards; in East Jerusalem, three bare open-air bus depots comprise a central bus station of sorts. Google Maps doesn’t recognize this.