Palestinian National Authority Taxis and Car Rental
Taxis are one of the best ways to get around the West Bank and other Palestinian National Authority (PNA) territories. Regular taxi services are not metered on most occasions, so tourists will need to work out the fares before setting off. In addition to regular taxis, there are shared transit taxi services. This is a great way to cut costs. Some taxi companies providing services around major cities in the PNA include East Jerusalem’s Jabar Taxi (+970-2585-5566) and Ash-Sham Taxi (+970-2656-9222).
Car rental is a popular choice among tourists, as car rental companies can be found throughout the major cities of the PNA. However, tourists need to remember to rent cars with yellow license plates, as cars with the green and white plates cannot enter into Israel. This is particularly important for travelers exploring Jerusalem. Renting a car is not cheap, and purchasing insurance is strongly advised. Be wary at Israeli checkpoints, as there can be occasional violence.
Palestinian National Authority Trains and Buses
Buses are available in most large cities in the PNA. However, they are usually not scheduled like in western cities. Most of the bus services in cities like East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah are ‘fill-up-and-go’ operations. Nevertheless, using buses to explore these cities is the cheapest option. One of the most famous tourist buses operating in Jerusalem is the Egged service, which takes travelers around the main sites of the city.
There are some bus services from Jerusalem to the main cities of the PNA. Bus 21 travels between Bethlehem and Jerusalem several times a day, as the trip only takes 45 minutes. Bus 24 takes a similar route between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. However, Bus 21 takes passengers into the heart of the ancient city of Bethlehem, while the smaller buses of route 24 only carry passengers to the checkpoints.