Rav-Kav Card: Israel’s Oyster Card

Rav-Kav card is the transportation card in Israel. You can pay your ride on a train, bus, light rail, metronit etc with this card. The idea is like London’s Oyster card, except Rav-Kav card can be used almost on all transportation within Israel. (A small country) You’ll get some discounts using this card, and it’s very convenient to carry this card instead of paying with cash and coins. So let’s take a look of Rav-Kav card!

 

Rav-Kav Types & Purchase Methods

• Anonymous/Rav Kav Anonimi: It costs ₪5. You can get it from train stations, central bus stations, some hostels and from some bus drivers.
• Personal/Rav Kav Ishi: It’s free, but you can only get this personal card at sales points. Your photo will be taken, and your name will be written in this card. The discount for elders and students apply only to residents of Israel. So this card will not give you more discount than the anonymous one, it’s fun but you cannot transfer this.

 

Where can Rav-Kav be Used? 

Except for Arab buses and Shabbat sheruts in Tel Aviv, you can use it on most transportation systems, for example, Jerusalem Light Rail, train, Egged bus, Superbus, GNB tours, Haifa’s Metronit etc.  

 

How to Use Your Rav-Kav Card? 

1. Validate when You Board

When you board intracity buses or light rail, you will see a sensor near the door. Use your card to validate only when you board, and since the ride is fixed (for example, 5.9NIS per ride).

 

2. Communicate with a Driver

If you board an intercity bus, it’s pretty cool that you can use Rav-Kav card to pay for your ride. But you have to tell your bus driver your destination, and the driver will deduct the fee accordingly.

On every bus, there is a sensor like this. Place your Rav-Kav card on it, and tell the driver your destination. You don’t need to (and can’t) do the math. The driver will tap a few buttons.  Don’t remove your card until the driver finishes. If you are paying for more than 2 passengers with this card, make sure you tell the driver in advance.

 

You’ll get a receipt (useless though) when it’s done!

 

3. Use it for Ticket Machine/Ticket Counter

For trains and Haifa’s metronit, you need to buy your ticket in advance with cash or this Rav-Kav card.  This is a train station:

 

And this is Haifa’s metronit.

 

How to Load Your Rav Kav?

There are 6 ways…  (Rav-Kav Online)

 

I’ve used these methods:

1.Rav-Kav Machines near bus stations or Light rail stations

 

2.Ticket machines at train stations

3. Drivers can load your card for you (but this option is no longer applicable in Jerusalem) This method exists because you cannot find Rav-Kav machines in rural areas.

 

Benefits of Using Rav-Kav

 1. Extra 25% Value

This is the reason why people use Rav-Kav! When you load 100, you get 125! That’s a big difference!  You can only load 30 / 50 / 100 / 150 / 200, and you get 37.5/62.5/126/187.5/250 stored value in return.

 

2. Discount on Return Ticket

If you are making a return trip to a city on the same day (for example Jerusalem to Tel Aviv), then instead of buying 2 single rides, you can buy a return ticket with your Rav-Kav card. I think you get 20% off! (Ask the driver!)

💡 This is probably cancelled! 

3.The Day Pass Option

You must have a Rav-Kav card to buy a Day Pass. It means you can have unlimited travel in one area or region. For example, you can use #501 Day Pass for Haifa + Akko, you pay 21.5NIS this trip would have cost you at least ₪38.8.

💡 By the way, you cannot use your stored value to buy a day pass. You must use cash or credit card to buy a day pass. Stored value is only good for buying single tickets. And you can have different packages of a day pass (or weekly pass) PLUS having some stored value for single rides in one single Rav-Kav card.

 

4. You can pay for 9 people with 1 Rav-Kav card

Maybe you are traveling as a group, so it saves time to pay for everybody with 1 Rav-Kav card. (But you cannot pay for multiple passengers for using day pass)

💡 With an exception on Jerusalem’s Light Rail

 

5. The 90 Minutes Free Transfer Rule

When you use your Rav-Kav card to buy for a single ride, the system will record the time you board your first ride. You can have unlimited transfers for 90 minutes! Using the same single-ride ticket!

💡 With an exception on Jerusalem’s Light Rail

 

The Disadvantages of Rav Kav

1. The loading amount is fixed,  30 / 50 / 100 / 150 / 200.  So if you are a tourist in Israel, then for sure you will have unused stored value in this card.

2. Anybody can use your anonymous Rav-Kav card

3. There’s no refund？？？？？

4. Maybe there’s still some integration problem? I’ve heard someone had less than 10NIS balance, but when he loaded his card, he lost that balance?!

 

Where to Get Personal Rav-Kav Card? (Rav Kav Ishi)？

I think it makes more sense to buy the anonymous card and NOT this personal one as tourists. But in case you want your name in Hebrew and a photo taken, the make sure you bring your passport to certain Sales Points. Here is the list.

 

Conclusion

1. If you are going to give away this card, get an anonymous card even though it costs 5NIS (which is nothing in Israeli standard)

2. Except for Jerusalem, you can load your card on buses

3. You have to buy a ticket using train and metronit. For other transportation, you can jump on and validate Rav-Kav on board

4. There’s a discount of an extra 25% value when loading money on Rav-Kav card

 

References

www.trans-reform.org.il/docs/english.pdf