Superbus (Company)

Superbus was established in 2000 as Israel's public-transport market was opening to competition. By May 2021, it employed about 1,300 people and operated roughly 700 urban and intercity buses; the company said its then-current network carried around 40 million passengers annually on approximately 240 lines and 8,000 daily trips.[4]

Its operating footprint developed from the Beit Shemesh–Jerusalem Corridor and Valleys clusters into Jerusalem's urban network and Haifa's Metronit. In December 2025, it also began the first phase of service in southern Gush Dan.[6][3]

Superbus emerged from the family-owned Auto Chen tour-bus business, which found itself in difficulty when the outbreak of the al-Aqsa intifada caused tour-bus orders to collapse around 2000.[5] Auto Chen had 220 buses at various stages of ordering; it cancelled 100 orders but could not cancel the remainder, leaving the company with a substantial idle fleet.[5] Eli Blilius decided in late 2000 to enter public-transport tenders as a way to make use of those assets.[5]

In April 2001, Blilius and a partner named Margaliot won a tender covering routes in the Ramla–Lod and Modi'in Illit clusters.[5] After Margaliot withdrew before service began, Blilius joined with the Yeruham-based Irus travelers company — owned by the Ohana family — to form Superbus.[5] A 2008 profile reported that at that time the Blilius family held 50% of the company and the Ohana family held the other half, with Eli Blilius and Amram Ohana serving as co-CEOs.[5]

The company began operations with roughly 70–80 buses and 80–90 drivers.[5] By the time of that 2008 profile, it had grown to 150 buses and 230 employees, and following a Jerusalem Corridor tender win it was expected to expand further to 250 buses, more than 350 employees, and over 50,000 passengers a day.[5]

Superbus built its network steadily over the following years. The company had operated the Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem Corridor cluster since 2009, carrying approximately nine million passengers annually on those routes.[6] From March 2014 it also operated the Ministry of Transport's Emekim cluster, covering communities in the Jezreel Valley, Yokneam Illit, the Beit She'an Valley, Tiberias, Daliyat al-Karmel, Isfiya, Afula, and surrounding areas, with intercity routes reaching places such as Karmiel, Safed, and Migdal HaEmek.[6]

By May 2021, Superbus described its operating areas as public-transport clusters in northern Israel and the Jerusalem–Beit Shemesh route, with a combined network of approximately 240 service lines and around 8,000 daily trips.[4] The company employed about 1,300 people at that time and operated a fleet of roughly 700 urban and intercity buses, many powered by electricity or natural gas.[4]

Superbus's entry into Jerusalem was part of a broader government effort to end Egged's longstanding exclusivity in the capital. Superbus won the tender for the central Jerusalem bus cluster, while the city's southern area was to remain with Egged; a separate tender for northern Jerusalem was still pending when the arrangement was reported in early 2021.[7] Jerusalem councilman Elad Malka attributed the move to a long campaign driven by service complaints, citing data he reviewed showing 40% of rides were late and 12% did not take place.[7]

The company began operating in Jerusalem in July 2021, initially taking over routes from Egged in the Urban Jerusalem Center cluster.[8] The first wave of lines included a tourist route connecting the city to the Western Wall.[9] From November 5, 2021, three additional lines were introduced: Talpiot East to the Givat Shaul Industrial Zone; Homat Shmuel to the Central Bus Station via Begin Avenue; and Homat Shmuel and Gilo to Har Hotzvim via Begin Avenue.[9] These were described as part of a phased process of adding approximately 20 lines under Superbus operation.[9]

The company's Jerusalem network was projected in 2021 to reach around 57 lines within two years, serving an estimated 34 million passengers annually and representing roughly 40% of Jerusalem's bus lines.[4] A company brochure said that by 2023 Superbus expected to increase frequencies in the cluster by approximately 40% and introduce buses powered by alternative energy sources.[9] A 2022 report noted that lines 74 and 78 extended service beyond midnight, until 2 a.m., and described a circular tourist Line 2 serving the Old City area and the Western Wall, as well as express routes from Har Homa and Gilo to the International Convention Center.[10]

The Jerusalem fleet as reported in 2022 comprised 382 buses, articulated buses, and minibuses, of which approximately 145 used alternative or "green" energy: around 95 electric and about 50 running on natural gas.[8] To finance the Jerusalem expansion, Bank Hapoalim and Superbus reached a NIS 490 million financing agreement in 2021.[4] Superbus had also been part of the Shapir–CAF consortium selected for Jerusalem light-rail operations, where it was expected to contribute operating experience and drivers; however, conflict-of-interest conditions attached to the bus tender led the company to choose the bus cluster over its light-rail role.[11]

Superbus won a ten-year tender to operate Haifa's Metronit, replacing Dan.[12] The mass-transit system uses bi-articulated buses traveling in dedicated lanes and receiving traffic-light priority.[13] Superbus began operating the system in October 2021; its launch plan covered the three existing lines, replacement of the vehicle fleet, and improvements to ticketing and enforcement.[8][13]

A later phase was planned to add two lines: route 4 through the Carmel Tunnels, linking the Krayot with Hof HaCarmel, and route 5 linking the Yagur junction through Nesher to Haifa's Hadar neighborhood.[13] Superbus also ordered 68 articulated electric buses for use in Haifa and Jerusalem. One model was approximately 19 meters long and able to carry 118 passengers, including 41 seated.[12] In 2021, the Metronit was expected to carry more than 20 million passengers annually.[4]

In March 2025, Superbus won a tender for 17 routes in southern Gush Dan, serving Holon, Rishon LeZion, Bat Yam, and Tel Aviv–Yafo.[14] The ten-year contract was valued at approximately NIS 2.5 billion and called for a fleet of about 430 electric buses.[14] The Ministry of Transport projected that service frequency in the area would rise by more than 10%.[14]

The network included two planned new routes: line 199 between Bat Yam and Holon, and line 13 between Be'er Ya'akov and Holon's industrial zone.[14] The first service phase began on December 26, 2025, with four routes: line 29 from Wolfson Medical Center in Holon to Rishon LeZion HaRishonim railway station; line 85 from Wolfson to the Volcani Institute; line 145 from Wolfson to Kiryat Aryeh railway station in Petah Tikva; and line 146 from Wolfson to Ayalon Mall in Ramat Gan.[3] Buses on these routes were described as featuring USB charging, monitoring systems, and flexible payment options, with a fleet of around 400 electric buses planned for the broader southern Gush Dan area.[3]

Superbus was founded as a joint venture between Auto Chen, affiliated with the Blilius family, and the Irus travelers company of Yeruham, owned by the Ohana family, with each side holding 50%.[5] By 2021, the company was described as part of the Blilius Group, and a March 2025 report described it as owned by the group.[4][1] The available reports do not explain when or how the ownership structure changed from the original joint arrangement.[5][1]

Superbus's expansion formed part of the wider opening of Israeli bus service to competition. In Jerusalem, its central-cluster award ended Egged's longstanding exclusivity and was projected to place about 40% of the city's bus lines under Superbus, serving roughly 34 million passengers annually.[4][7]

The company's recent growth has also been tied to lower-emission fleets. Its 2022 Jerusalem fleet included about 145 electric or natural-gas vehicles, while the 2025 southern Gush Dan tender called for approximately 430 electric buses.[8][14] For the Metronit, the 2021 launch plan called for roughly 50 electric vehicles and an overall frequency increase of about 50%; these were announced targets rather than confirmation of the final fleet or service level.[13]

In February 2026, Superbus sought an injunction in regional labor court to halt a planned three-hour strike by drivers organized under the Koach La'Ovdim union.[2] The planned action concerned Metronit lines in Haifa and bus services in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Yokneam, Beit Shean, and other locations.[2] Drivers said they were protesting the company's handling of complaints about violence against them; Superbus responded that it would not allow harm to employees and passengers "due to political interests."[2] A hearing was scheduled for the following day, and the report did not state the outcome.[2]