Israel tests suicide-bomb resistant buses
JERUSALEM (AP) - March 5, 2008 The buses being tested in Jerusalem are equipped with a
turnstile that allows the driver to inspect the passengers as they
get on the bus and a back door designed for exit only. The buses
also have crowd-control equipment for emergencies, said Ronit
Eckstein, a spokeswoman for Israel Military Industries, the defense
contractor that developed the buses.
No other information, such as additional security features, bus
routes or cost would be made public for security reasons, she said.
Between 2001 and 2004, 77 passengers were killed in six bombings
aboard Jerusalem buses, carried out by Palestinian attackers who
detonated explosives they were carrying after boarding the buses.
The bloodiest was Aug. 19, 2003, when 23 people were killed. In
all, suicide bombers blew up 21 buses in Israel during that period,
killing 208. The last bus bombing was in August 2004.
Ora Saloman, a spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry, said
trial runs of the buses began on Sunday. She declined to elaborate.
She said four buses are on the roads in Jerusalem, and if
successful, they would be offered for export.
The special buses will be taken off the roads for further
assessment after the six-week trials, she said.