Sherut (mini van), Jerusalem

Hi,
I just phoned nesher to change a sheroot booking I had because of a family emergency. When a family member is in critical condition in hospital you generally expect a little understanding, but I was violently shouted at and then told to 'F**K OFF'

I recommend everyone avoids NESHER as this is how much they care about their customers.

There are trains to the airport from malcha station which make from a much pleasanter ride!

A convenient and inexpensive way to get to Ben Gurion Airport from Jerusalem is to go by Nesher Taxi (nesher = eagle). This is a shared taxi (usually a van, with place for luggage) that you order by phone about half a day in advance. You tell the dispatcher when your flight is and he tells you what time to be ready for pick-up. The cost is 58 shekels per person (around $16). There is no extra charge for baggage and no need to tip the driver.

The phone number of the Jerusalem office is 02-6257227 (you only need the "02" area code if you are dialing from outside Jerusalem).

Jerusalem is about 50 km west of Ben Gurion airport, a journey that can take as little as 40 minutes or much, much longer. I chose to travel by Nesher/Sherut, the private mini-van service that leaves from right outside arrivals. This is a very user-friendly option as you just have to step outside the terminal building and you're immediately ushered to a van. It's also very reasonably priced considering it's a door-to-door service and you will be dropped off at your accommodation in Jerusalem. These are the advantages but of course there are disadvantages as well. The first of these is time. If you're in a hurry then this is not the wisest choice. The vans take about 10 passengers so you must wait until it's filled with people travelling in approximately the same direction. Once you get to Jerusalem there's an awful lot of driving round in circles dropping people off. All this is fine if you're in relaxed mode and enjoying the scenery but if you need to be somewhere by a certain time, it's irritating in the extreme. Also, make absolutely sure your driver knows your ACTUAL destination. In my case there was a misunderstanding and I was asked to get out and take a taxi. In fairness to the driver, once I refused he was prepared to drive me to my destination but it was a pretty frustrating situation for both of us. Another VT member travelling to WorldMeet2008 had the same problem and did end up having to take a taxi, so you have been warned.

In the guide books it says that this service should be booked 24 hours in advance but my experience was that you walk out and there are vans lined up waiting for passengers.

The price in September 2008 was NIS 50 which works out at approximately EUR 10.

The Nesher Co. runs a mini bus service that picks up people from around Jerusalem and takes them to the airport (and vice versa). The journey is about a hour (because you pick people up) but it is well worth it if you want to save some money. The fare of travel is NIS 50 which is about a quarter of the price of a private hire.

Sheruts from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem depart from outside the central bus station in Tel Aviv. The other way, there are sheruts leaving to Tel Aviv from Jaffa Street, outside the new big bus station in Jerusalem. The drivers usually wait until the minivan gets full, which will not take much time as the sherut is still a very popular way of moving around in Israel.
The trip costs about 20 NIS one-way.

The sherut taxi is a van that normally take 8 - 10 passengers and the price is the same is in the busses so that soemtimes more comfortable to do this ride from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem unless if you feel better in a big airconditioned buss.
If you're coming to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv then you can take this Sherut (sherut means Service) Taxis from the central bus station.