Pikuach Nefesh, Life Saving on a Bus

The other day, when traveling to Jerusalem by bus, I had to transfer from our Shiloh-Pisgat Zeev bus to one that would go all the way to the "Bituach Leumi-Kiryat Memshala" stop near Binyanei Ha'uma, not far from the Central Bus Station. I was on my way to the Israeli Museum, and it's a relatively short walk from there.

It would have taken me much, much longer to via our bus's Pisgat Ze'ev "first-last" stop. Now with the drastic changes in bus routes, our buses have been thrown out of the lovely CBS mall. All of our buses have outdoor, unprotected stops.

Of late, I've been learning entirely new ways of traveling by public transportation. People think I'm nuts when I joke that it's a technique to prevent or delay senility/dementia, because we must learn new things all the time. Of course the bureaucrats who designed these changes aren't dependent on public transportation. They have cars and most don't live in places like Shiloh, if any do at all. So, they really don't care. I doubt if they've ever traveled on a bus in recent years, certainly not the conditions we must live with.

Well, back to the story:
After a few minutes' wait at the Ma'avar Michmas-Psagot Gas Station stop, a bus to "Bituach Le'umi" arrived. It was crowded already, but a young man in the front seat by the door got up for me. It sure is nice to be an obvious alte-koka, old lady. On the other seat was a man, of about my age. Some men refuse to let a women sit next to them, so I was prepared to tell him that if he didn't like it, he could get up. But he said nothing. And so we sat side by side.

I started checking things/mail or reading a book on my smartphone, when suddenly I felt the bus quickly slow down, and the man's arm swung across my shoulders/chest to keep me from flying off my seat into the window.

"I'm sorry if that bothered you." Said the man in English.
"Pikuach nefesh, you saved me." I answered immediately.

Yes, he did. That type of bus does not provide protection for anyone in the seat I was in. The railing in the front just covered the person to my right. Since I had been caught by surprise, and my hands were occupied, I didn't have a chance to grab it. No doubt I would have had flown off my seat and been injured if he hadn't put his arm out to protect me.

Those new buses aren't safe. I remember many years ago, actually about forty when I had to take my second daughter with me to the American Consulate, which was then just across from the old border in East Jerusalem. We took what was then the #12 bus the entire route from Bayit Vegan to Sha'ar Shechem (Gate.) I had a terrible time at the Consulate because of the rude and nasty Arab staff and the unpleasant walk from there back to the bus stop at Sha'ar Shechem. When the bus arrived, the driver saw that I was upset and carried my daughter in her stroller into the bus. Then he told me not to sit in that seat, just over the door, because it wasn't safe.

Beware! Take care!