Tel Aviv central bus station

Construction began on December 14, 1967, but work was prematurely halted due to financial difficulties. The building was finally inaugurated on August 18, 1993. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the mayor of Tel Aviv Shlomo Lahat. The station's prolonged construction period gave it the title of white elephant among the public, and in light of this, the inauguration ceremony included releasing a white elephant balloon into the sky. The station was deliberately designed to be confusing, so that commuters would spend more time around the stores, and thus more money. When designed the station was in Tel Aviv's downtown, but by the time it opened the business center had migrated north, and the station's neighborhood had become peripheral and impoverished. In January 2012, the owners of the station filed for its bankruptcy. However, in early 2022, the Ministry of Transport announced that the closure would be delayed until at least 2026. ==Specifications==

The station occupies an L-shaped building. Its long arm (220 m) faces Levinski street, and the short arm (140 m) faces Zemach David St. The complex includes a shopping mall serviced by 29 escalators and 13 elevators with over 1,000 shops and restaurants. Only two of the seven floors are used as a bus terminal (6th and 7th floor). The main entrances are on the north and east sides of 4th floor. Most intercity buses leave from a departure hall on the north (main) wing on 6th floor. On the 7th floor, which was an addition to the original building, there is a departure hall for local buses (to destinations within Gush Dan) on the north wing, and another departure hall for intercity buses (to destination in the Galilee) on the south wing. The wings of this level are completely separated. The station serves Egged, Tnufa, Metropoline, Afikim, Beit Shemesh Express and Dan BaDarom intercity bus routes as well as local Dan, Egged and Metropoline city and suburban buses. In 2008, approximately 100,000 people visited the station building every day. In 2018 this number went down to 80,000. It covers 230,000 m2 and a total area of 44 dunams (44,000 m2). Tel Aviv central bus station is located near Tel Aviv HaHagana Railway Station, but there is no direct link between them. Although the Tel Aviv Central Bus station is the largest bus station in Tel Aviv in terms of building size, the Tel Aviv Central Bus Terminal (also known as the "2000 Terminal" and situated next to the Tel Aviv central railway station) handles considerably more bus passengers per day than the Central Bus Station. ==Problems and criticism==

The Tel Aviv central bus station has suffered from severe neglect and disrepair. As the station is located in the poorest part of the city, numerous drug addicts, prostitutes and homeless people take residence there on occasion. In 2010, there was a murder and three reported cases of rape in the station. The station has also been criticized for its complicated design which makes it hard to get around, and for being built in a neighborhood that didn't fit its character. ==In literature==

The bus station is the centre of author Lavie Tidhar's novel Central Station, set in a far-future Tel Aviv in which the station becomes a planetary hub and gateway to the stars. The novel follows the lives of the descendants of the migrant workers who live in the area now. ==See also==