In a shocking incident, two young sisters, aged 8 and 10, endured a frightening hour-long ordeal when their bus driver abandoned his route with them still on board.
The incident occurred last Friday on a Kavim bus service from Haifa to Modi'in Illit, where the girls' grandmother was waiting to collect them for Shabbat.
According to reports, the situation unfolded when the bus was nearly empty except for the two girls and a Hasidic couple. Instead of completing his route to the girls' stop at Meshech Chochma Street, the driver first diverted to drop off the couple in Na'ot Hapisga neighborhood.
Despite promising the children he would then take them to their destination, the driver instead parked the bus and took an unauthorized break, leaving the young passengers stranded. Making matters worse, he then began an entirely different route to Bnei Brak with the girls still aboard.
"The girls were terrified and in tears," said a passenger who discovered them on the new route. The children were eventually rescued when this family boarded the bus in Modi'in Illit and found them inside, helping to contact their parents and arrange their safe return to their grandmother.
Meanwhile, the girls' parents had grown increasingly anxious when their daughters failed to arrive at their destination and the bus's live tracking system suddenly went dark.
In response to media inquiries, Kavim Transportation Company confirmed the incident and stated that "the case has been referred to branch management for investigation. Following this, the company will proceed with disciplinary action according to protocols."
The driver will face a disciplinary hearing, though this action was only taken after media involvement and intervention from Deputy Minister Uri Maklev.
This is a developing story.
