Thank G-d, or Egged, for Those New Free Bus Transfers

Egged Jerusalem buses now have transfers, free transfers, if you request when you pay.  You can use them for unlimited buses within about one hour and fifteen minutes.  That's how I get to the Central Bus Station from Gilo every week after tutoring there.

In theory the trip can be done with one bus, the 31, but it's pretty harrowing, because the bus has a very winding route in Gilo and then detours to Malcha, the mall and  Teddy Stadium.  And then it stops at Binyanei Ha'Uma, rather than on Jaffa Street.  It's quicker to take multiple buses.

Today, when I finished tutoring I was surprised to discover that the father had gone with their car and I didn't have a ride to the bus stop, a full half a kilometer (a third of a mile) uphill.  I ran, and as I got to the top and was still about a block from the bus stop, two buses, a 31 and a 71, chugged right by, out of my reach.

So I waited, and waited...
Finally, a 30 night route came.  It took me to a stop that it shared with a lot of routes, and I caught a 72 which would get me to downtown Jerusalem but not near the bus station, so on King George Street I caught a 75 to Har Nof, which went via Binyanei Ha'Uma adding close to five minutes walk, and I was getting nervous.  So I switched buses again at Machane Yehuda, got the 8, straight to the bus station, even went through the manual security check quickly.  Yes, that made four buses for the price of one!

I got there so early, I even had time to buy more multi-tickets.  The clerk overcharged me and then gave me the difference in change.  Yes, B"H, a wonderful trip home!